No Such Thing as Happily Ever After for Us
by inuyasha'sbabe07
Summary: Finally InuYasha has worked up the courage to ask Kagome to spend the rest of her life with him. But they see happily ever after isn't always true even if Naraku is dead and gone. R&R PLEASE!
1. Confessions of a Stubborn Hanyou

**Disclaimer**: I do not own InuYasha, though, I wish I did!

**Author's Notes: **Hey guys! I was at a lost as to what I should do for the fifth chapter, so in the mean time I decided that I should go back over the first two chapters and edit them for two reasons. Number one, it seems as though I lose more readers after these two chapters, and number two, they were written almost two years ago, and thus are very poorly done. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone! Oh, and it does a better job at setting up the "confession" scene. So here you are, the all new, revamped version of my first two chapters! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: Confessions of a Stubborn Hanyou**

"InuYasha, look out! Behind you!" InuYasha spun around on his heel, Tessaiga held in both hands. What awaited him was yet another of Naraku's insidious tentacles. With a great heave of his sword, the great tentacle was severed from Naraku's body, only to be rejoined seconds later.

"Kagome! Hurry up, aim for his **_(bleep!)_** heart and get this over with!" InuYasha shouted to the girl that stood not to far away from him.

"InuYasha, that's not him! He's somewhere in one of those buildings!" She shot back.

To her left, Sango battled with a tentacle of her own, and to her right, Miroku was battling as best he could without the use of his _kazaana_. Shippou did his best to fight; mostly he confused the lesser _youkai_ around them into fighting each other. But this alone was enough, it let the older members of the group focus their attentions on the true threat.

"Kirara!" Sango shouted to her furry companion and was lifted onto the large _nekomata's _back, far enough away from they many appendages of Naraku to throw her _hiraikotsu_and do a significant amount of damage.

With a great yank, Sango sent the bone weapon whirling towards Naraku's head, but before it hit, those tentacles swatted the weapon away. Sango cursed loudly and looked down at the carnage beneath her. Thousands of bodies littered the grounds of Naraku's floating palace. Most of them were _youkai_, but some were humans, people that had joined up with the group when they had been sure that Naraku's demise was inescapable. The sight of it all reminded the demon slayer too much of the time two years passed when all she had had been ripped out from under her. _He _had been the cause of it then, yet had that not happened, Sango knew she would never have met her best friend and her future husband. Such a bittersweet memory.

Suddenly, without warning, Sango felt Kirara disappear from under her and the rush of air as she fell. She twisted to see what had happened and saw that her companion had been swatted by one of the many tentacles of Naraku and was now struggling to free herself of its constricting grasp. Before she had a chance to think, Sango too found herself in a like situation.

"Sango!" Miroku cried out to his fiancé. Immediately he rushed to her aid, slicing the appendage near the joint with his _houshi's_ staff.

Sango came tumbling down into his arms, and he set her down lightly. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. Help InuYasha!" She shouted over the din and pointed to where the _hanyou_ battled with Naraku's puppet.

* * *

_Where the **(bleep!)** is that blasted Naraku?! He has to be around here somewhere! _Kagome thought, her eyes searching all the rooftops. 

She held her bow at the ready and took off towards the far corner of the floating castle. They had last seen the true form of Naraku there, whereupon he had disappeared into one of the many buildings to control his puppets in safety. Behind her, she could hear InuYasha shouting curses and attacks left and right, Sango screaming angrily at the puppet, and Miroku calling up his wind tunnel when none of Naraku's _saimyoushou_ were around.

They had been fighting for hours on end with their archenemy and all were reaching their breaking point. There seemed to be no end to the puppets or the _youkai_ that flooded the area. Luckily for them, Kagura had demolished one of the spouts they sprang from, but that had cost her her life. She had turned to their side once she saw that Naraku was doomed. The other detachments of Naraku had been hard to find and even harder to kill, but in the end, they had done just that. All of them but one; Naraku's heart. The tiny fair-haired baby was with Naraku, and he was in one of those buildings. And Kagome was determined to find him.

She leapt over the banister of the closest building and raced inside through the torn paper door. The place rank of death and rotting flesh. All over the floor there was a carpet of bodies, some of them fresh, most of them halfway between skeletons and mummies. Putting her hand over her mouth and nose, Kagome pressed onward through the maze in search of Naraku and his heart.

Just when she was about to lose hope, she heard something scuttle into a side room. Turning swiftly she looked back into the pitch-blackness she had just retreated from. Deep inside one of the rooms, she could hear something moving. Slowly, and very cautiously, she inched toward the door. She peeked around the doorframe but saw nothing, so she moved closer, keeping her shoulder against the door.

It was absolutely black in the room, very unnatural, and there was a distinct feeling of someone's, or something's, presence there. Kagome could feel that there were shards in the room though, so she went further inside. From the furthest corner, a deep chuckle rattled that someone's throat.

"Naraku! You **_(bleep!) _**coward, come out and face me!" Kagome shouted. Deep in her mind she scolded herself. She was starting to sound too much like a certain _hanyou_ these days.

"So you've found me. Why don't you take a seat?" Naraku chuckled menacingly. Before Kagome could react, she felt herself being vaulted through the roof and high up into the night sky.

Hearing the commotion from the building, InuYasha turned to see Kagome go flying into the sky. Without a single thought, he launched himself into the air to save the young girl. Once he had landed, he set her gently down and peered into her shadowed face.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Just as he said that, over the stink of blood and death, he caught the tangy smell of Kagome's tears. "Kagome?"

"I'm fine! Just get that idiot out here so I can shoot him!" She said in a small, but haunting, voice.

InuYasha nodded silently and painted a scowl across his face. He hefted his trusty sword and called out his most powerful attack, _Kekkaigiri._ Within seconds the house was in pieces, laying helter scelter around the grounds. From deep in its midst stood the hated man, completely unscathed by the attack. A deep growl rattled through InuYasha's chest as he held his sword at the ready.

The puppets that had been plaguing the Yasha gang had apparently been based inside that building, and with it destroyed, there was nothing to fight except the real thing. Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippou all gathered around Kagome and InuYasha. Each one of them had a great multitude of wounds, and Sango looked about ready to collapse had Miroku not been there to hold her up. Now was the final showdown.

Naraku chuckled ominously. "You've found me. You've destroyed all of my detachments, all of my puppets, and now my only hiding place. What are you going to do now?" He seemed hardly phased by the fact that he was sorely outnumbered.

"We're gonna kick your sorry **_(bleep!)_** from here to kingdom come!" InuYasha snarled.

"I don't think so, mutt." Naraku smiled. In the blink of an eye, a thousand tentacles had sprung from his body and were now racing toward the group.

All of them leapt into action. Tearing, slicing, incinerating, clawing, hacking, it was all they could do to keep on their feet. Kagome was the first of them to fall, and in an instant, InuYasha was at her side cradling her head in his hands.

"Kagome, don't die on me now! Not when we've come this far!" InuYasha begged the fallen girl. Her eyelids fluttered as she whispered silently to him.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest. Just let me close my eyes." She slipped slowly into oblivion.

"Kagome, don't you dare die on me!" He shouted. When she made no response, his face hardened. He raised little by little to his feet, his anger swelling to unimaginable levels.

To his right, Miroku fell as well, his left shoulder pierced through with one of many tentacles. One wrapped its slimy self around his abdomen and was leisurely squeezing the life out of the young _houshi_. On InuYasha's left, Sango was dodging the flying appendages, trying to get to Miroku. She never made it though; one of the things shot out and launched her across the grounds, where she landed like a rag doll. Kirara was unable to fly to her mistress' rescue, she too was held down by many tentacles. Only Shippou was free. He stood by Kagome's head, transformed into a small statue, but InuYasha knew that he was standing guard.

Through all this, InuYasha did not cringe when Sango landed, nor did he turn when Miroku screamed out in pain, nor when flames enveloped Kirara, changing her back to her tiny form. He was focused on one thing only; killing the man that had taken the people he cared for most and playing with them as if they were nothing but clay toys.

"Poor InuYasha, he's lost his friends." Naraku taunted. But InuYasha did not hear it.

Deep within, he was fighting a battle against himself. His full _youkai_ side had been awakened and now sought to be set free, while his _hanyou_ side wished to fight with full leave of his senses. But his resolve fled him when he looked again at the bodies of his only true family. He gladly welcomed the beast within him, letting its malevolence cover him over. His sword sat forgotten by Kagome's limp body, so there was nothing to hinder the beast from rising to the surface. Slowly, InuYasha started to transform.

Two jagged lines of purple raced down his cheeks, his eyes took on a red haze, his fangs grew longer and sharper, and his claws grew as well. He no longer saw anything but Naraku and immediately he raced towards the _youkai_, determined to rip his throat out, even if it meant his own life.

* * *

_Kagome. Kagome! Kagome, it's time to wake up. Wake up Kagome. The fight is not over yet. _A voice called to the young girl. 

She lay in the middle of a waving field of wild flowers. Their sweet perfume was making her feel lightheaded, but she was euphoric. She did not want to wake. Off in the distance though, she heard shouting and screaming. Slowly she sat up and looked around her. The flowers began to dissipate, and the butterflies that had been fluttering about suddenly turned to tiny pinpricks of light. Darkness swept over the meadow and Kagome found she was sitting on nothing but air.

_Kagome, you need to wake up now. Your friends are depending on you. _There went the voice again, this time much closer.

Kagome eased herself up onto her feet and turned around. Directly behind her someone was approaching. She could make out the silhouette of long hair and flowing skirts. Slowly, the figure grew brighter, shining from within itself. As it came closer, Kagome saw that the being was in fact a woman. She had long raven black hair as flat as a board and beautiful brown eyes. The thing that struck Kagome most was the fact that she was dressed as a priestess with ancient armour and she held a long straight sword in one hand.

"Priestess Midoriko!" Kagome breathed as the realization hit her.

_Yes, that was my name, a long, long time ago. _The woman's mouth did not move an inch, in truth; her voice was in Kagome's mind.

"Why have you come here? I thought you were still at war within the _Shikon no Tama_!"

_I am. But that war is drawing to a close. Only you can determine the outcome. You have to wake up and destroy Naraku before he taints the Shikon no Tama and takes over the world. _

"But how? I'm not as powerful as you are! What can I do?" Kagome asked.

_Have no fear. I will lend you my strength. You must take the jewel once he is gone and wish for something that is pure. Only then can my soul rest in peace. Kagome, you must wake!_ The image of the young _miko_ faded from Kagome's sight.

Slowly she became aware of the fact that someone was shaking her and calling her name desperately. The pain in her head started to grow as she reentered the world of the living. Her eyelids fluttered open and she caught the sight of a shock of red hair. The voice calling to her was Shippou. When he saw that her eyes had opened he began to babble on and on about something to do with InuYasha and Naraku.

"Shippou, calm down. I'm here." Kagome sat up very slowly and pulled the tearful _kitsune_ child into her arms to comfort him.

"InuYasha has turned into a full fledged demon! And now he's battling Naraku! Kagome, if you don't do something, InuYasha's gonna die!" The boy wailed.

Kagome's head shot up to where the _hanyou_ boy was hard at work trying to kill Naraku. He bled from a dozen places, but he did not notice them. His sole purpose in being alive was to kill his opponent.

Kagome rose to her feet and placed Shippou on the ground at her feet. She grabbed a discarded bow that lay at her feet and snatched an arrow from a fallen _youkai_. She notched the arrow firmly and pulled the string taut, aiming for Naraku's chest. _Kagome! Don't bother with him! His heart is with the girl! Turn around!_ Midoriko's voice shouted in Kagome's mind. She turned around and saw Kanna standing at least fifty feet away from her, holding a baby wrapped in silk.

She pulled the string taut once more and aimed for the emotionless girl and her tiny charge. Inside her, she felt her _miko_ powers swelling and surging to accept the help of the powerful Midoriko. She began to glow purple from all the excess power within her, but she did not really take notice of it. She whispered a prayer to the _miko_ inside her and pulled the string as tightly as it could go.

"_Ike!!" _Kagome screamed as she let go of the arrow and sent it flying.

The arrow was almost invisible due to all the _miko_ powers that were surrounded it, but it hit its mark, true to the aim of the archer. It slammed into Kanna frail body, piercing through the baby into the girl, sending the flying for a few yards before they dropped. A great explosion of white light lit the area just after the hit. The light was blinding and sent everyone who stood to their knees. After the light had dissipated, Kagome, who had been the only one left standing fell to her knees, completely spent.

_Kagome! Get up! You are not finished yet! Get the Shikon no Tama before Naraku has a chance to regenerate!_ The young girl drug herself toward the fallen bodies of InuYasha and Naraku. She stopped next to the _youkai's_ prone body and grabbed the full jewel from the chain around his neck. Her spiritual powers, mixed with those of Midoriko, purified the jewel, which had turned a deep crimson colour.

To her left, InuYasha groaned loudly and started to stir. Kagome recoiled from him, scared that the beast within him might still be in control. When he sat up though, Kagome gasped. He was a human! _The waves from the arrow must have purified him! If that happened to him, then what about Kirara and Shippou!?_ Kagome thought to herself.

She jumped to her feet and raced to were she had last seen the red haired boy. He was not there. She called frantically for him, tears coursing down her cheeks. If she lost him, she wouldn't know what to do. To her left though, the sound of a small cough caught her attention. There in a pile of rubble sat a little boy that look strikingly similar to the _kitsune_, only he was a human and as such, had no fluffy tail, furry feet, or pointed ears.

"Shippou?"

"Yeah? My head hurts." He grumbled. Then he caught sight of his feet. "Oh my gosh! What happened to me?! Where's my tail?" He screamed as he jumped and sprang into Kagome's outstretched arms.

_Kagome, the young boy will be fine. The magic from the blast shocked him, and sent his youkai side into hibernation for a while. He will be back to normal in a matter of hours. And so will my dear Kirara. _Kagome turned and saw the cat walking her way. She no longer had two tails, now, she looked like an ordinary house cat. And thus ended the great fight with Naraku.

* * *

"**_(bleep!)_** it, woman! Just give me the Shikon no Tama!" InuYasha was back to his normal self. 

"No! Midoriko told me I was supposed to wish for something pure! Not for you to become a full fledged _youkai_!" Kagome shouted back as she held the now complete ball above her head.

Off to the side sat Miroku, his arm hung in a sling, and Sango, her body covered in white wrappings. They had made it through the fight, and would live to tell of it. Midoriko had visited the small group shortly after Naraku's castle had vanished. They had had many questions for her, not the least of which was what had happened to Miroku's _kazaana_. She had assured him that it would remain but would not suck him into the void as it had to his father and grandfather. He had been content with it and left it at that.

Sango's question was not as easily answered. Since the lost of her family, Kohaku's fate had never left Sango's mind. Now with Naraku dead, what was to become of him? Midoriko stood silent for a moment and then answered that he would return to a place of peace with her. She could not reanimate his already dead body. But she did allow the mourning Sango to speak with him one last time.

As for the other three, Shippou asked for nothing more than Kagome to remain his surrogate mother. Midoriko had been pleased and left him with her. InuYasha had merely asked that Kikyou's tormented soul be laid to rest. Kagome had been comforted in this, although the _hanyou_ had sulked about for a few days afterwards. She simply asked that she have more time to think about her request.

"InuYasha! Give that back! I still haven't made my wish yet!" Kagome chased after the boy. "_Osuwari!_" She shouted. InuYasha hit the dirt with a great thud and Kagome easily retrieved the jewel.

"Kagome, what are you going to wish for?" Shippou sprang up to Kagome's shoulder and stared at her curiously.

"I'm not sure yet."

"You'd better figure out soon. Midoriko said the battle inside the jewel was near its end and you were the only one to decide who won." Miroku stated.

Kagome sat down next to Sango and sighed. "I know." Just then InuYasha stumbled up, still spitting up chucks of dirt. He sat down grumpily next to Miroku and tucked his hands into his sleeves.

Hoping to lighten the mood a little, Miroku pointed out the weather. "It's been unseasonably cold these days." He shivered a little despite himself.

"Yes, it has. Perhaps we should start traveling towards Kaede's village." Sango offered.

"You humans are so weak. Get up, the least we can do is get a few miles before dark." InuYasha got to his feet and began walking. The others quickly followed suit not wishing to anger the already annoyed _inu hanyou._

* * *

Kagome stared intently into the leaping flames of the small campfire that Miroku had built not an hour prior. They had finally stopped about ten miles away from Kaede's village due to the snow that had decided to cover the world in a thick white blanket. 

Kagome's thoughts strayed back over the past two years of her life with InuYasha and their quest for the restoration of the Shikon no Tama. So much had happened since then, so many adventures, tears, and things she had learned that she would never have confronted had she not been pulled into the Bone Eater's well. Now Naraku was no more, and the Shikon no Tama had finally been put back together. But with that came the painful decision of what she was to ask Midoriko for. Would the Bone Eater's well remain open for her to continue to past from time to time? She doubted it. Would she stay with InuYasha in the feudal era, or go home to the 21st century, never more to see her one love again?

The sound of a deep snore pulled her from her thoughts. She looked to her right to see Miroku turn over on his pallet seeking the warmth of the fire. On the opposite side of the fire lay Sango, cuddled with Kirara. On her lap, Shippou lay twitching in some dream. All about them lay at least six inches of snow, and cold nipped at them like a thousand mosquitoes. She sat wrapped in two thick blankets and her thickest sweater and jeans, and still she shivered. But the sight of her beloved friends brought her back to the age-old question, stay or not?

She gazed across the clearing seeking InuYasha. She knew he always slept apart from the rest of them, but now more than ever; she needed him by her side. A rustle in a near by tree gave him away, and she looked up to see his golden eyes staring back at her. She looked back down at the fire and once again took up the futile attempts to warm her frozen body. She stretched out her long fingers in front of the flames, cupped them in front of her mouth, and rubbed them together briskly. It did no good though; the cold was everywhere, so she finally gave up. She nearly screamed when she felt something heavy drop down over her shaking shoulders. It surprised her even more when InuYasha sat down behind her, pulled her up onto his lap, and wrapped his arms possessively around her.

"You humans are so weak," He whispered softly into her ear.

"InuYasha, you'll wake Shippou!" Kagome hissed.

"He'll be fine. I tired him out today." He said quietly, as if in agreement, Shippou let out a tiny whimper and settled back down.

Kagome looked into InuYasha's eyes and saw something she would never have thought to see in him; she saw fear and sadness.

"InuYasha, what's wrong?" She asked concerned by what she had glimpsed in his amber eyes.

"I thought I'd lost you. You looked dead. Then I felt the beast swelling up. I didn't think I had anything left to live for, so I let him take over. I _wanted_ to die." He said as he nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. His velvety ears tickled her chin as they twitched back and forth.

Kagome's heart began to thunder against her ribcage. She gently began to rub InuYasha's ear to calm herself as much as let him know that she was there. "You didn't lose me. I'm here and I don't plan on going anywhere for a while."

"I don't wanna lose you again." He said quietly into her neck, his warm breath sending shivers up and down her spine.

"You always say that." Kagome nudged him playfully, trying to push the butterflies of her stomach.

"Kagome,"

The way he had said her name made her bite her lip, and drew a tear from her eye, so she just leaned her head against his strong chest. He talked to her like that only once before, when he had thought Kagura had killed her.

"Naraku is finally dead, and we've restored the Shikon no Tama. Kikyou's tormented soul has been laid to rest. So by all means, our mission is complete. But what happens after this?"

Kagome cringed at the mention of her rival's name. She had always felt like Kikyou had been a competitor for InuYasha's love. But that was over now. InuYasha himself had asked that her soul be put to rest. He must have been torn about that.

"I used to feel like Kikyou was the only one who really knew me, and I loved her so much for that. Even after Naraku pitted us against the other, I still loved her."

Kagome wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. She liked it better when InuYasha talked to her about the two of them, and left Kikyou out of it.

"But," InuYasha continued; "now I know. I never really deeply loved her. I only wanted something or someone I could trust and hold on to. Kagome… I…"

Kagome pulled far enough away from InuYasha to see his face, but it was hidden behind his bangs. Something about him was not normal and she could tell in a single heartbeat.

"You what, InuYasha?"

"I realize now that it's you I've loved, not Kikyou. You stayed with me through it all, even when I went off to find Kikyou all those times, you stayed with me. I hurt you everyday, but yet you stayed by my side no matter what."

Kagome felt her heart stop. Was InuYasha actually saying he loved her? Did he really mean it? Her heart then began to pound against her ribcage like a war drum and she swore InuYasha could hear it too.

"Kagome, I don't want to lose you! Not after all the things we've been through together! Please say you'll stay with me. I don't what I'd do if you left for the future. Please say you'll be mine, my mate. Kagome?"

InuYasha took her face between his long hands and looked into her chocolate brown eyes. Tears began to form in her eyes and spill down over her clean, smooth skin. With his thumbs, he wiped away the tears and smiled at her.

"InuYasha! I've been waiting so long for you say that! Yes, of course I'll stay with you! I made a promise too you that I would never leave your side, and that's were I plan on staying!" Kagome said through her joyful tears.

She threw her arms around his neck and felt his lips tentatively touch her own. Now, as she had once before, she felt the tingly sensation race through her veins. InuYasha gained his courage back, pulled her closer into his chest, and kissed her harder, but she would have it no other way. She had been waiting too long for this moment for her to pull away from him now. And from their pallets there by the fire, Sango and Miroku winked at each other and smiled. And Shippou, from his warm nest on Kagome's lap, let out relieved sigh that he wouldn't lose his "mother".

**End of Chapter**

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**Translator:**

**_Youkai:_** Demon

**_Nekomata:_** Two-tailed cat

**_Houshi: _**Buddhist monk

**_Hanyou:_** Half demon

**_Miko:_** Shinto shrine maidens of Japan beginning in the Feudal era of Japan.

**_Kitsune:_** Fox

**_Ike:_** Go (informal use only)

**_Osuwari:_** Sit

**_Inu hanyou: _**Dog half demon

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**Last notes: **Well, that's the first chapter redone. Now only the second one left to do **_(does little dance of joy)_**! I hope that with this chapter redone, I'll get a few more people reading and liking… Well, I'll get chapter two up before Christmas, so be looking for it! Enjoy… oh yeah! And, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!! Bye-bye for now! 


	2. Begin Our Life

**Disclaimer: **Nope, they ain't mine. I wish they were though.

**Author's Notes:** I took a lot of time rewriting these first two chapters. I might have said this in the first chapter, but I write these chapters at least two years ago now, so there are a lot of things to change about them. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy them. Don't forget to review!

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**Last Chapter: **Ok, the InuYasha gang finally gets rid of Naraku through a long battle in which Midoriko visits Kagome and gives her the power to defeat their arch nemesis. After this, InuYasha confesses his love for Kagome and asks her to live the rest of her days with him.

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**Chapter 2: Begin Our Life**

The sun had just begun to disappear behind the distant hills. Standing alone on a high tree branch was the silhouette of InuYasha. He stared contentedly down at the grounds of his estate, which he had just completed that day.

With at least five square acres of land and a fifteen thousand square foot house, it was definitely no mere speck of dust. All over the grounds were _Momiji, Ume_,_Yuki yanagi, Mokuren, Momo, _and _Sakura _trees in full bloom and near the far side of the house was a large fish pond filled with white _Hasu_ blossoms just beginning to open their tranquil faces. But the most impressive part of the whole compound was the twelve-foot wall that encompassed the area.

InuYasha smiled at himself. This was the kind of life Kagome was born to live in, not a peasant wife living in a shack by a river. He had done his best to place only the best and most beautiful plants to reflect his love's beauty, though in his mind, she far surpassed all of them.

Off in the distance, he heard a door slide open and then shut again, breaking him from his reverie. He leapt from his perch and landed in a jog in the direction of the side porch. There he saw Kagome wearing a simple but elegant light brown kimono with a sky blue _obi_. Her hair was pulled back into a simple twist, but small locks of her jet-black tresses brushed lightly against her cheekbones and neck in the evening breezes.

"Do you know what today is?" Kagome asked InuYasha without even turning to look at him.

"The completion day of our home and our six month anniversary. Easy question, try something a little harder next time." InuYasha smirked playfully as he pulled her in front of him.

"I think that such a monumental achievement by such a stubborn hanyou," Kagome started when InuYasha interrupted her with his trademark "Keh."

"…deserves a celebration of equal proportions." Kagome finished with a playful tug on InuYasha's rosary that still hung around his neck.

The intensity of his lustful growl almost scared her, but she had come to realize very quickly that while he was coarse and strong, he could be gentle as a butterfly when need had it, especially when it came to her.

"But it is still to early to retire." From this, Kagome received a disappointed whine, much like a puppy that has had it's favorite chew toy set high above its reach. "My lord InuYasha, won't you take me on a tour of these magnificent gardens of which you have so grandly…"

Kagome never finished, for behind them came a shrill cry of "HI YAH!" and the next thing she saw was InuYasha sprawled out face first in the grass with a victorious Shippou standing on his head. Needless to say, InuYasha was up in a flash with a comical look of anger, chasing the hapless _kitsune_ pup all around the gardens and through the house, completely set on his goal of grinding Shippou to a bloody pulp.

"You little runt! You ruined the freaking moment!!!!!" InuYasha fairly screamed. He lashed out for the fleeing child, but his claws met nothing but air.

"Kagome-chan! Save me! OUCH!" InuYasha had finally gotten a hold on the poor _kitsune's_ fluffy tail and proceeded to crack his skull. Kagome, of course, promptly yelled out "_Osuwari_!"

"CRAP! Kagome, what'd ya do that for?!" InuYasha managed to say through a mouthful of grass and pebbles.

"Shippou, are you ok?" Kagome swept Shippou into her arms and began to rock him like a baby. Through his crocodile tears, he pointed to the lump that was starting to peek out of his red hair, which Kagome kissed gently as a mother would kiss her child's scrapes.

When the spell had finally worn off, InuYasha sat up and a vein popped out of his forehead, but he simply sat cross-legged with his hands tucked into his wide sleeves and watched as Kagome disappeared inside the house. Shippou could not with stand the urge to stick his tongue out at the unfortunate hanyou. It was all that the unfortunate _hanyou_ could do to stay seated.

* * *

Later that night, once Shippou had been tucked peacefully into his grass green silk futon, Kagome slid the thin door to his bedroom closed as quietly as possible and winced when the bamboo beaded curtains clattered against the wood frames. InuYasha had insisted on hanging these noisy things that stretched from ceiling to floor to make sure that any _youkai _that managed to scale the wall would most definitely be heard once he entered the house. Finally, after much noise from the curtains, Kagome slid the door closed and slipped off to the _Sakura_ grove to sit on one of the marble benches and stare out into the distant stars.

"_Oh, the stars are so beautiful tonight! There seems like there's more here then back home. It's been too long since I've seen Mama, since InuYasha and I got married." _ she thought to herself. Behind her, she heard a twig snap. She did not turn since she knew it was her mate.

"I've sent those blasted servants off to go home for the night, and Shippou should be fast asleep by now. Now is the best time we'll ever have, Kagome." InuYasha pleaded as he lifted Kagome lightly into his lap in a sort of bridal style. She leaned her head into his warm haori coat and breathed in his scent.

"You really are like a dog! You wont stop trying till you get your way, even when the other is completely exhausted from a day of chasing you and a certain child around!" Kagome giggled softly.

"Then is that a yes?" InuYasha sounded hopeful.

"Yes, that's a yes. But not out here; it's much too cold outside for anything like _that_ to be done!"

Without any further bidding on Kagome's part, InuYasha swept her off her feet and nearly sprinted into the house to the privacy of their room. Once there, InuYasha set Kagome down gently onto the feather-filled futon. He then slid in behind her, his chest pressed hard to her back, and began to gently untie the first of her _obi_.

Kagome breathed a sigh and fell gladly into his arms, allowing his clawed fingers to rake gently up and down her stomach and sides as the last tie was undone. He dropped his face down into the crook of her neck and breath in deeply her sweet scent, which always seemed to send his head reeling. Slowly, he pushed the blue kimono off her shoulders and nibbled lightly on the soft skin that made up her shoulders and neck. Shivers ran up and down the young woman's spine. She let her head roll back, exposing her slender neck to the menstruations of a doting husband.

Needless to say, the night was filled with laughter and love and not until a few hours till dawn did the house finally go quiet**.  
**

* * *

The sun's dawn rays bled through the linen curtains, and the bamboo beads, and lit the master bedroom in a hazy red glow. They hit Kagome's face and bare shoulders, giving her skin a bronzed hue. InuYasha had propped himself up on one elbow and now trailed a single claw across his mate's arm. Her hair sprayed out over the pillows and her shoulders like ropes of silky black gold. InuYasha could not help lifting a lock of it to his nose to breath in her sweet scent.

Kagome's eyes flickered open when she felt InuYasha's warm nose brush her neck. She stretched and turned over to face him.

"Rise and shine!" InuYasha chirped happily earning a yawn from Kagome.

"You're a little bit better built for nights of activity and lack of sleep, but we humans need at least nine hours of rest after any strenuous… you know." A light blush bloomed on her cheeks as she smiled up into his face. InuYasha leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on to her pink lips.

"Darn you humans. Always weaklings!" He sighed and hung his head in resign. "Then you get some rest and I'll go and see if I can't find a _youkai_ or two to preoccupy myself with in the mean time." InuYasha immediately bounded off the futon and pulled on his trademark fire rat _haori_. "I'll be back midday. You'd better be up by then!" He called as he rushed out of the room.

It was at least three hours later that Kagome finally rolled out of bed. With a great yawn, she stretched and rubbed the sleep from her chocolate eyes. Slowly she rose off the floor and stepped over to the door that led out to the porch. Birds chirped happily in the trees, fish bobbed near the surface of the pond seeking air or something to call breakfast. A smile eased into Kagome's face. This is what her mate had done for her after years of mock disdain. With another yawn, she pulled on a robe and made her way to the kitchen for some breakfast of her own.

* * *

"Kagome-chan! You're finally up! I waited to have breakfast so I could eat with you." Shippou sprinted down the hall and leaped into Kagome's outstretched arms. She gently brushed his hair down as any mother would and then walked to the kitchen.

It took a lot of persuading from both Kagome and Shippou to get the cooks to allow the young woman the chance to make her own breakfast. They all seemed convinced that no proper lady would be able to cook for herself when others could do it for her. But her charms and smiles were enough to win even the most stoic of chefs. Within ten minutes the kitchen was cleared of bothersome servants and full of the aroma of Kagome's home cooking.

The two of them had barely finished their omelets and bacon when one of the many servants came to them with an announcement.

"Lady Kagome," The servant bowed respectfully and waited to be acknowledged.

"Yes?"

"There is a peasant women at the gate by the name of Sango. She claims…" The servant was not able to finish his statement before Kagome jumped up off the floor, squealed for joy, and rushed off towards the gate without a word to the servant or Shippou. The poor man was quite confused, such behavior was not what he was use to from the wife and lady of a _youkai_ lord.

"Sango! I'm so glad you came!" Kagome ran into Sango's open arms and embraced her best friend.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, but I thought it would be better to let you and InuYasha get used to the fact that you had to live together before you had any guests." Sango said as she and Kagome made their way to the large _Ume_ orchard.

Kagome turned an eye towards her best friend. Sure, she looked like a peasant with the simple worker's kimono she was wearing, but Kagome knew better what lay beneath the white and pink wrap and green skirt. Beneath all that was the heart of a warrior, someone who knew pain, but bore it all for the sake of others. Sango was far more "noble" in birth and manner than Kagome had ever been, or ever hoped to become. She smiled gently and turned her eyes back on the path.

"It's so hard to believe that we're all married now! And you to Miroku of all of them!" Both of the women laughed as they found shaded benches near the back of the gardens where they could be more secluded.

"I know. But he has changed," Sango said thoughtfully. "He's still the pervert he was when I first met him, but only with me. Thank the _kami!_" Sango sighed as she leaned back against the cool wall. "And now that he's going to be a father, well, you know." She said rather non-challantly.

"You're pregnant?! Sango, how long have you know?" Kagome shouted happily.

"Only for about two months, I think I'm about three months along but now." She stared down at her stomach as if in wonder that she carried a new life, a miracle of womanhood. "I am sort of surprised that you and InuYasha aren't expecting yet." She looked at Kagome in hopes of an answer.

"Well, for one, he's been so busy with the estate," She swept her hand out across the grounds to prove her point. "…then, we haven't really done anything since our wedding night and last night, if you know what I mean." A deep red blush filled the cheeks of both women.

Sango nodded her head sagely and looked out at the grounds. Sweeping grassy lawns littered with tiny gardens of bright flowers, glassy blue fishponds filled with _hasu_ blossoms, thick, fragrant groves of trees. This was certainly the home of a wealthy lord and lady, that was for sure. She and Miroku had a simple home that suited their needs with a small vegetable garden and a well. But she was happy for her friend and for herself.

"Do you think it's too much?" Kagome voiced Sango's thoughts as she watched her look about the land.

"Oh no, it suits you well. Miroku and I are happy with the small home that we have." She smiled to confirm her words and Kagome smiled warmly back at her.

"Shall we make some tea?" Kagome said as she stood up and gestured to the house.

"Tea would be delightful, especially in the company of my dearest friend."

The two women made their way to the house, all the while laughing over past events and adventures and wishes that those days "of old" could have lived for a little longer.

* * *

InuYasha raced through the woods replaying the night before and of the morning. Just thinking about Kagome's sleeping face made him smile. He had learned more about her in the past six months than he had in the year and a half before that. Yet, in all his deep thoughts, he did not even think as to where he was going and thus ran straight into a rather large, rather perturbed _oni_, knocking the both of them to the ground.

With his quick reflexes, InuYasha was on his feet in a split second, Tessaiga in hand. The _oni_ on the other hand, being a creature not well known for its knowledge and cunning but more for its sheer size and ferocity, was dazed and slow, so InuYasha took the initiative.

"_Kaze no Kizu_!" He shouted as he swung the sword, releasing a wave of power, which blew the troublesome _oni_ into pieces.

"Now back to Kagome." He slid Tessaiga back into its sheath and began to sprint home, longing to smell Kagome again.

In no time at all, he had reached the wall, scaled it and slid open the front door. All the servants that were present automatically bowed low in respect at his passing. One of the elder servants by the name Hitoshi walked up to InuYasha and began to walk beside him.

"My lord InuYasha, you have a guest. Lady Kagome has already given them tea in the sitting room." He droned out. InuYasha had hired him as the head servant to report to him the goings-on his home while he was gone, not for the enthusiasm he showed.

"Thanks, Hitoshi." InuYasha waved him aside and made his way to the sitting room to see whom this "guest" was.

As he drew close to door of the room he heard two feminine giggles. He quickly recognized Sango's laugh and relaxed, his hand slipping unconsciously from the hilt of the sword. He slid away the door to see his wife and her best friend drinking tea and watching Shippou perform some acrobatics.

"Oh, InuYasha! Hello." Sango chirped.

"Keh."

"InuYasha, Sango came to visit us. And you know what? She and Miroku are expecting a child!" Kagome grinned and looked up into his face, wondering just what kind of reaction this news would elicit from the stoic man.

"I knew the pervert wouldn't be able to last long!" He grunted as he sat down and let Kagome pour his tea. Shippou giggled at the memory of the lecherous monk and the many handprints that seemed to tattoo his cheek.

Sango and Kagome couldn't help but smile, and blush, at the same thoughts. Kagome was actually a little surprised that Sango was only three months along, she would have expected five or six, just as InuYasha had insinuated.

* * *

Two weeks past quickly on the estate, and Sango had decided to stay for a while longer to reminisce on the old days. Kagome offered Sango the use of one of their many guest rooms, to which she promptly agreed. She found it comforting that her friend was now once again under the same roof, as it had been for a long time before.

It was on the last night that Sango was supposed to stay that things took a little turn. Kagome tucked Shippou into his futon as she always had and then made her rounds around the house, searching for lamps that had been left burning. When she found none, she yawned expansively and went to the master bedroom.

There sat InuYasha, in the center on the futon in his normal position; legs crossed, hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked up when he heard Kagome enter and began to ask something but then stopped.

"What is it, InuYasha? Is there something you wanted to ask?" Kagome asked sleepily.

"No, it's nothing." InuYasha said with a slight smile. Kagome's scent had changed, almost matching that of Sango's, but quite as intense. The thought of Kagome carrying his child gave him shivers of joy, but he refused to tell Kagome... not yet anyway.

"Ok, now scoot over, it's time for bed." Kagome said as she eyed him warily. Having only used the single wide _obi_ instead of all three customary _obi, _she untied it quickly and let the dark green kimono slip soundlessly off her shoulders and fall in a heap at her feet, revealing the thin white undergarments.

"Whatever you say." He said with a grin as he pulled off his outer robes and tossed them into the corner. He then pulled the bedcovers down (which Kagome's mother had so graciously provided from the future) and beckoned for his mate to join.

"Now I know some thing's wrong." Kagome said, her hands instantly resting on her hips.

"Nothing's wrong! Would you just come to bed?! Jeez!" InuYasha said in a mock-irritated voice. Kagome eyed him warily for a few more seconds.

"Fine." She finally huffed, resigning to his stoic pose. She sighed deeply and lay down beside InuYasha and wrapped her arms around his lean waist.

As the couple slipped into a contented sleep, InuYasha smiled again at the thought of his mate baring his pups, and whispered a silent prayer to any god listening for a son. A son that could bear his name and continue the line started with the love of a human woman and a _youkai_ lord.

**End of Chapter **

* * *

Translator:

**_Momiji:_** Maple tree

**_Ume:_** Japanese plum tree

**_Yuki yanagi:_** Snow Willow

**_Mokuren:_** Japanese magnolia

**_Momo:_** Japanese peach tree

**_Sakura:_** Japanese cherry tree

**_Hasu:_** Japanese Lotus

**_Obi: _**the belt that holds the kimono in place

**_Kitsune:_** Fox

**_Osuwari_: **Sit

**_Hanyou: _**Half demon

**_Youkai:_** Full demon

**_Haori:_** Short silk jackets

**_Kami:_** Gods

**_Oni_: **an ogre; a demon

**_Kaze no Kizu: _**InuYasha's first sword attach

* * *

**Thanks to you who reviewed: **_inu-yashas-kagoma: _Thanks for reviewing! I hope this new chapter is just as enjoyable. _NekoReiBaka: _Yeah, it was me that asked for help. Never got your email, so, sorry about that. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. _Anime Wildfire:_ Thanks, I wish I had more reviews too, but that's ok. Enjoy the chapter!

Well, that's it. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE press that little button down there and review on the chapters to come!


	3. Unexpected and Unwanted Surprise

**Disclaimer:** You know that InuYasha series and all its characters? Well, they ain't mine. They will be one day though!

**Author's notes:** Hey there! Didn't think I was going to continue this story, did ya? Well, neither did I, but hey! Here's the next chapter! Anyways, sorry the first part has a lack of conversations, I wanted to get some things set up before talking started...

* * *

**Last Chapter:** InuYasha finally finishes their home and they reach their first anniversary. Sango comes to visit Kagome for the first time since the two couples married. Sango also reveals that she is expecting a child. InuYasha gets a whiffs of Kagome's scent and notices something has changed...

* * *

**Chapter 3: Unexpected and Unwanted Surprise**

The morning dawned brightly, heralded by a burning ball of fire. Everything on the Taisho Estates was coloured a deep and fiery red, very fitting considering who lived on the grounds. Birds began their happy chirping; the fish in the glassy blue ponds began surfacing for early morning buggy meals. A few cranes wandered around snagging stray frogs where they could. The household servants began to set about their daily chores. Deep inside the home, InuYasha stirred from his very restful sleep.

Never before had he experienced such a restful sleep, and he attributed it to one thing, and one thing only. Unlike things happened very often, Kagome's scent had not changed over the past month. Her monthly cycle had not swept away his hopes as it had once before. This time, he had a feeling that the child that had begun to grow within her womb would grow to its full gestation. But never the less, he prayed to whatever deity would hear the prayers of a _hanyou_ that his child would live.

Slowly, so as not to wake his mate, he rolled over and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. She smiled in her sleep and called his name, turning and reaching for his warm embrace. He smiled and whispered gently in her ear that she was to sleep more. He then got up from the futon and shrugged on his fire rat _haori. _He moved slowly and quietly around the room as he gathered his sword and tied the sash on his robes. He slid the door back and silently skated past the bamboo beads without a sound. Just a short walk from the master bedroom, both Sango and Miroku slept peacefully. InuYasha had offered their home to the couple as a sort of get-away. So far, they had been there together for a whole week, although Sango had been there for two weeks prier. The young man smiled again at the sound of Miroku's gentle snoring and then rushed out of the house with all haste.

Every morning for the past month, he had taken to patrolling the surrounding forests and meadows for _youkai_ and spirits that might somehow harm his new family. And as if in response to this new habit, the creatures that might have presented a problem retreated to their dens and tunnels, all of them watching the fledgling family for any opening in which they could wreck havoc. But for now, none of them made a move. InuYasha was pleased enough with this, even if it gave him less chance for practice with the Tessaiga than he would have wanted. But such is the price of being so proficient in his skill.

* * *

Back at the estates, the other sleeping beings began to stir from their slumber. Miroku rolled over and stretched thus waking his very pregnant wife. In his own room, Shippou yawned tiredly and rubbed the sleep from his bright green eyes. And in the master's room, Kagome slowly opened her eyes and shielded them from the glare of the sun. She rolled over and was greeted by a cold bed. She was beginning to get used to the fact that InuYasha no longer waited to for her to wake before he left. She sighed nonetheless and reached for her morning robe.

As she pulled the flowery sash tightly around her waist, she was disappointed to find that she had put on some weight. _I guess this is what comes from no longer running around searching for Naraku and the Shikon no Tama shards. Maybe I should start exercising…_ She thought to herself. Shrugging it all off, she made her way to living room to have a cup of tea.

Just as she had slid the bedroom door closed, Sango emerged from her room with Miroku trailing sleepily behind her.

"Good morning you two! You guys sleep well?" Kagome chirped happily.

"As well as someone can be expected when a certain someone is snoring right in your ear!" Sango glared at Miroku accusingly. He simply shrugged and threw himself down onto the living room floor.

With more grace and poise, the two women lowered themselves down to the floor as well, making sure that they had a fluffy cushion. Sango absent-mindedly began to rub her swelling belly. Kagome smiled and leaned back on her hands to gaze out the opened door at the fishpond. Just then Shippou stumbled into the room and hopped into Kagome's lap.

"Everyone seems so tired today. What is your reason, hm, Shippou?" Kagome ruffled the young boy's red hair fondly.

"I heard noises coming from down the hall that sound like someone moving furniture, then it sounded like someone was groaning. It was _really_ loud!" The _kitsune _boy mumbled.

On the other side of the low tea table, Miroku and Sango shifted embarrassedly, their cheeks as red as tomatoes. Kagome smiled and shook her head at the hilarity of it all. She had slept well the whole night through, but it didn't seem like enough now. She was more exhausted now even though she had no reason to be.

"I guess that's why you guys didn't get much sleep either, eh?"

Sango's blush increased ten-fold and Miroku turned to study the bright paintings on the door screens instead of Kagome's smiling face. As if to pull the attention from the embarrassed couple, one of the maids entered the room and set a tray down on the table and bowed low to Kagome.

"Here is your tea, Lady Kagome. Is there anything else you would have me do for you?" She said with her eyes cast down.

"No, that's all for now. Thank you, Sakura." Kagome waved the young girl off and began to pour some tea for herself. She didn't feel hungry, actually the idea of food made her sick for some reason.

"Those _hasu _blossoms have grown quite beautifulovernight." Sango remarked as she poured a cup of tea for herself and offered another one to Miroku.

"This breed seems to favour the early morning for their climax of bloom." Miroku said sagely.

"InuYasha said he planted them because when he gets up and smells them, they remind him of me. It's sweet, isn't it?" Kagome couldn't help but smile at the recollection.

Slowly the flowers swayed back and forth in the early morning breeze, which also brought their sweet smell wafting into the room. Branches all heavily laden with flowers, _momo, sakura, yuki yanagi, ume, _and _mokuren _trees also lent their sweet scents to the mixture making the air almost intoxicating. (_IB: All the trees I just stated all bloom during the spring, around March and April. Just so you know)_

"Speaking of the devil, where is that guy? Where'd he get off to this early in the morning?" Miroku asked, true curiosity twinkling in his violet eyes.

"He has this new habit of patrolling the area for new _youkai_ every morning in the early morning. He'll be back in time for lunch." Kagome sighed.

"The old dog is _always_ in time for lunch, especially if it's his favourite: ramen." Sango stated sarcastically.

The group laughed happily at the memory. Pictures of InuYasha staring confusedly at Kagome's retreating figure with ramen noodles hanging out of his mouth, then him buried deep in the earth with one had holding up the precious cup of noodles. _Those where the good old days. _Each of them thought.

Just as they all started to regress into themselves with their memories, a great clamour arose from the entryway on the north side of the house. There was shouting and the sound of breaking pottery and china.

"InuYasha's back." Shippou announced

* * *

True to form, InuYasha stood at the doorway to his home with a scowl on his face and his hands tucked into his sleeves. When he had returned, he had scared one of the maids that had been carrying a tray full of freshly made pottery to the kitchen. She in turned had screamed and dropped the tray, smashing every single piece of the fragile crockery to a thousand pieces.

Now the poor girl and several other servants scrambled to pick up each piece and sweep the floor clean of all the shards too small to be picked up. The maid was practically falling over herself with her apologies for being so clumsy. All the while InuYasha stood there, his silence scaring everyone. It was Hitoshi that got everything back into order.

"I'm so sorry, Milord. She's new and not accustomed to the ways of this house. It won't be long before everything is back to normal."

"Where is Kagome?" InuYasha's tone caused the old man to stop and blink for a moment before answering.

"She's in the receiving room with Lord Miroku and Lady Sango."

Having all the answer he needed, InuYasha stormed off towards the living room to his mate and companions.

He found them laughing hysterically about some memory, of him no less. Sango was clutching her swelling stomach, Miroku wiping tears from his cheeks, Shippou was rolling over the floor, and Kagome was trying to muffle her laughs with a delicate hand placed over her mouth. InuYasha's ears twitched in an irritated way from their perches on his head. Then they pinned themselves back, plastered to his head in anger.

Everyone in the room slowly stopped laughing and caught onto the _hanyou's_ foul mood. There was something not quite right with the man. It was Miroku who rose first and broke the awkward silence that had followed their merriment. His monk's staff jangled happily as he rose and addressed the peeved InuYasha.

"Welcome home InuYasha! Won't you join us for a cup of tea?"

"Keh!"

InuYasha growled dangerously and glared at the man then turned to address his wife who had raised herself from the floor, sensing that something was not quite right.

"What's wrong InuYasha?" She asked.

"Kouga is coming this way." He said through a sneer. Everyone knew how much he hated the wolf _youkai_ with everything, even now that he had made Kagome his mate, he hated him even more.

"Kouga-kun is coming?" Kagome seemed confused.

"I remember him saying at some point about a year ago that he would come back and claim you as his mate." Sango said pulling herself up as well.

"That **_(bleep!) _**is gonna have me to reckon with! He ain't takin' my mate without a fight!" InuYasha growled, clenching his fists so hard that he drew blood from his palms.

"How long do you think it'll take him to get here?" Miroku asked

"His filthy scent was at least a whole week old. Maybe five days, maybe six."

"Well, I would offer my help with my _kazaana, _but this is your fight alone, InuYasha." Miroku shrugged.

Kagome caught the last bit of Miroku's statement and instantly grew curious as to why. "Why can't you help him? Why does he have to fight Kouga alone?"

"When one _youkai_ challenges another about a mate, as in this case, when one tries to take the other's mate, the mate has to protect their territory. If he does it with help, it shows him as weak, and the challenger will likely return at a later date to claim the female. So InuYasha's only hope is to defeat Kouga by himself. That's the only way he can be assured that Kouga won't come back to get you. Once he's beaten Kouga, he'll have to admit that you are InuYasha's and then he won't return." The monk said as he sat back down and took another sip of his tea.

"I see. It's a property dispute." Kagome said distastefully.

"That's what comes from marrying a _youkai_, Kagome. It's not bad, that's just the way things are!" Sango tried to comfort the hurt pride of her best friend.

"Kagome, walk with me for a while." InuYasha said, tugging on his wife's elbow.

She looked at him for a moment and then looked at Sango. Hesitantly she nodded her head and followed InuYasha out onto the veranda and then on to the gardens. Back in the living room Sango sighed and sat back down, retrieving her forgotten cup of tea.

"Don't worry. InuYasha will be able to defeat Kouga with no problems. He did defeat Ryuukoytsusei by himself." Miroku pattedhis wife's back hoping to cheer her up. She nodded distractedly.

* * *

The young couple walked quietly through the great gardens that surrounding their home. On the eastern horizon, dark clouds were gathering, a precursor to a big spring rainstorm. If you a _youkai's _excellent sense of hearing, you could hear the distant rumbling of thunder. Even the wind had picked up. It came in big gusts, dislodging whole flowers along with petals and sending them spiraling through the air. 

Kagome suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that she had not bathed or changed since she had gotten up. The ornate morning robe she had put on was threatening to fly off into the sky, leaving her body completely naked. She tried desperately to keep herself modest but was failing miserably. And with the silk robe fluttering all around her, she could feel the cold wind much better, which sent shivers over her body and goose bumps up and down her arms and legs. InuYasha caught his mate's discomfort and draped his _haori_ over her. She thanked him quietly and tied the coat tightly around her waist.

At the furthest corner of the compound, InuYasha chose a bench against the eastern wall, sheltered from the wind. Kagome gratefully sat down on the bench and leaned into her husband's strong shoulder. He draped his arm around her protectively before saying anything.

"How have you been feeling lately?"

"Fine, I guess. I feel a little bit fat. I think it's because my body isn't used to such inactivity." She barely caught the smirk that crossed InuYasha's face at that statement.

"Have you eaten yet, today?" More curious questions… why was he asking them?

"No. I had a few cups of tea with Sango and Miroku, but the thought of eating makes me feel sick. Why are you asking?" Kagome pushed away from him just far enough that she could see his face. But his silver bangs covered his eyes.

"Just curious." He sighed and abruptly changed his tone. "Kagome, when Kouga gets here… I need you to stay in the house. I don't want you to get hurt."

"InuYasha! You know very well that he wouldn't hurt me! And why do I have to stay inside? I can help you, and you know that!"

"Kagome, don't fight with me! Just do as I say!" InuYasha growled.

"InuYasha, I am no child, and I'm _not_ a weakling! I can take care of myself!" Kagome shouted at him indignantly.

"By the _kami_, Kagome, I _know _that! All I'm asking is for you to stay inside when we fight! Is that too much to ask!?" He shouted back at her with equal fury.

By now, both were standing and nearly nose-to-nose. InuYasha's face was getting a little flushed, but Kagome had actually gone pale. Slowly, the two relaxed and stared at the other with something like a glare. They would have stood there until the sun had taken to its fiery bed had a big gust of wind not blown InuYasha's _haori_ right off of Kagome. He dove after it and finally grabbed it when it became entangled in the lower branches of a _momiji_ tree. He walked back to where Kagome stood holding her robe tightly to her. He handed it back to her and began to speak very slowly.

"Look, Kagome. I love you. I really don't want you to get hurt! Please do this one thing, for me."

With the look he was giving her, her resolve fled like a scared deer. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. "Alright. I'm sorry."

InuYasha held her tightly for a moment then scooped her up into his arms and announced that it was approaching lunchtime, and she needed to get dressed.

* * *

Kagome was thrilled by the fact that InuYasha actually agreed to come to the bathhouse with her. He didn't do that very often, simply because he hated what that meant. Whenever they got in there, Kagome would beg and plead for InuYasha to let her clean his hair. And he was doing it voluntarily!

Now the two of them sat in the waist deep pool of steamy hot water. On one of the walls, a small waterfall from an outside pump, fed from a hot spring, splashed down into the pool. The water then exited out of a small hole near the door and traveled back to the stream. InuYasha was doing a couple laps of the pool, trying to delay the impending doom of hair washing.

"Quiet being a baby! Come over here!" Kagome said impatiently from her seat on the underwater bench that went the whole way around the pool.

"Alright, no need to shout! I'm comin'."

Reluctantly, he swam up to Kagome and looked at her sheepishly. He hated getting his hair washed with that sham-pooh stuff from the future. She only shook her head at him and smiled like a mother smiling at a child who does not want to get a shot. She lifted herself to sit on the ledge of the pool and motioned for InuYasha to take a seat on the bench between her legs. He took his seat and braced himself.

"You can be such a baby sometimes," Kagome stated as she poured a good amount of shampoo onto the _hanyou's _head. "Why don't you like to get your hair washed?" He obviously didn't care at the moment; he was leaning into her massaging hands like a dog being scratched. Kagome half expected him to start shaking his leg. (_IB: Funny image isn't it?_)

For some reason, today InuYasha actually enjoyed having his head messed with. Maybe it was because from his seat, the smell of the child within her was even more acute. Or perhaps it was the gentle touch of her hands rubbing the cleaning goop into his scalp. Whatever it was, he was disappointed when she told him to go underwater and rinse the stuff out.

"Alright. Sit back down, I still need to put conditioner in."

"Keh!" He wanted it bad, to have her hands messaging his head, but he refused to give her that satisfaction.

She poured the sweet smelling stuff onto his head and rubbed it all in before wrapping his great abundance of hair into a tight topknot to sit for a while. After she had done that, InuYasha got up and turned to face his young wife. She gently draped her arms around his neck and jumped into the water. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly. A gentle kiss turned quickly into a hungry yearning for more. He lifted her up and allowed her to wrap her slender legs around his waist and began exploring her neck and collarbone and lower with his lips and teeth. They remained like this for quite some time before Kagome spoke hesitantly, her voice a little shaky.

"Inu…Yasha. We… need to rinse that conditioner out of your hair and get back to the house. Sango and Miroku are probably waiting for us."

The young man growled something incoherent into the crook of his mate's neck and then eased the girl back down into the warm water. He plunged himself down into the water and released his hair from the topknot and let the conditioner disperse into the water. When he returned to the surface, Kagome stood ready with a comb and proceeded to comb his hair free of all its knots. When that was accomplished, with much grumbling from a particularly annoyed _hanyou_, both dried themselves, dressed, and left to eat the lunch that was undoubtedly waiting for them.

* * *

The next few days went by without any hitches. It rained almost everyday for the whole day and most of the night. Kagome started getting sicker though, nothing but the crackers she had brought from the future would stay in her stomach. InuYasha of course knew the cause but said nothing, leaving the others to worry over her. _Let her figure it out on her own. She'll know before long._ He kept reminding himself each time she retched her previous meal.

As Sango's pregnancy went on, she grew a little bigger as each day passed. The baby within her had even begun to move, though only Sango could feel it at that point. InuYasha could tell that the young woman did not only carry one, but two babies. But again, he kept quiet.

Their relative peace was broken on the sixth day when Hitoshi entered the receiving room where they sat enjoying some _soba _noodles. He bowed to InuYasha and Kagome before speaking.

"What is it, Hitoshi?" InuYasha asked, slightly annoyed at the intrusion.

"Lord InuYasha, you have a visitor. He awaits you at the gate."

"Did you get his name?" Kagome asked, her breath catching in her throat.

"He said he was one, Lord Kouga."

All movement in the room stopped abruptly and all eyes turned to the young man. His face turned stony and he rose slowly. He looked down at the young woman at his right and nodded to her. She nodded weakly back and stayed where she was. InuYasha grabbed Tessaiga and left the room to accept the challenge.

After he had left, Shippou hopped into Kagome's lap and looked at her sad face. "Kagome, why are you sad? InuYasha will be back soon. Let's go watch him, he'll grind that wolf into a bloody pulp!" He grabbed Kagome's hand and pulled her towards the door, but she remained unmoving.

"Kagome, are you not going to see InuYasha beat Kouga?" Miroku said, confused.

"I'm going to sit here where I'm safe." She said, staring ahead of her without really seeing anything in particular.

Sango looked at Miroku as if to ask, "what's with her?" but he simply shrugged and looked back at Kagome, still more confused than he had been. Sango scooted over to the girl and draped her arm around the girl. Tears began to trail down her cheeks and make dark circles on her pale blue kimono.

"He'll be ok. Don't worry." She tired her best to reassure the woman.

That was all the incentive that Kagome needed. She threw herself fully into Sango's arms and cried with all that she had. Seeing his surrogate mother so sad, young Shippou ran back to Kagome and hugged her as best he could with his short arms. Miroku, feeling totally out of place and awkward, got up and headed towards the great gate where InuYasha now faced Kouga.

* * *

"You got a **_(bleep!)_** of a lot of nerve to show up here like this!" InuYasha growled menacingly at the wolf _youkai_ that stood before him.

"You've done well for yourself." At that point Kouga lifted his nose to the breeze and frowned disdainfully. "I see you've been busy too. With _my _woman, no less."

"Kagome is mine, **_(bleep!)_**! She chose me as her mate, not you! The child she bears is mine by right!" He crouched down in a fighting stance, fully readying himself for Kouga's attack.

Kouga snarled at him and fell into a similar stance. "That child dies with you, half breed mutt!"

"Go to **_(bleep!)_**, filthy wolf!" The _hanyou _growled again and would have sprung on Kouga if a voice from the veranda had not stopped him.

"InuYasha, please stop! Kouga-kun, leave please! I've chosen to be InuYasha's mate, not yours. _Go, please!_" Kagome stood there, tears streaming down her face. She was begging that no blood be shed; she still cared for Kouga, as a friend. She didn't want to see him killed.

"Kagome! I told you to stay inside!" InuYasha roared at her, cause her to fall on her knees, still crying.

"No, let her stay. Let her see what a worthless worm you are, and then she'll come crawling back to me! Her rightful mate!" Kouga sneered, and almost laughed at the distress in InuYasha's voice and face.

As they stood there waiting for someone to make the next move, rain clouds thundered overhead and lightening forked across the sky like a snake's tongue. The rain came swiftly, and hard. It pelted down on everyone around like hail, each drop stung like cold needles. The wind drove it perilously into the eyes of the _hanyou, youkai_ leader, and young woman. One of them had to make the first move, but none of them could.

**End of Chapter**

* * *

**Translator:**

**Hanyou: **Half demon

**Haori: **Jacket worn over kimono by both men and women (formerly only by men). The cut is the same asfor kimono, but it's only about thigh-length. The front panels are narrower than that of the kimono so that they can't be wrapped. Instead, the haori is closed with two pieces of string at breast level.

**Youkai: **Full demon

**Kitsune: **Fox

**Hasu: **Japanese Lotus

**Momo: **Japanese peach tree

**Sakura: **Japanese cherry tree

**Yuki yanagi: **Snow Willow

**Ume: **Japanese plum tree

**Mokuren: **Japanese magnolia

**Kazaana:** Wind tunnel

**Kami: **Gods

**Momiji: **Maple tree

**Soba: **Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour and wheat flour. They are roughly as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot and cold dishes. The most basic soba dish is zaru soba in which boiled, cold soba noodles are eaten with a soya based dipping sauce.

* * *

**Last notes: ** Yeah, thanks all of you guys who stayed with me. Sorry I had so many translations. But hey… such is life. Anyhoo, please please please review on this chapter, ok? I worked on it from one in the afternoon to one in the morning! Ok, need sleep! BYE! 


	4. Curse

**Disclaimer: **Yep… I don't own Inu and Co.. Too bad. I would have a lot of fun with them **_(Evil grin)_**!

**Author's Notes:** Whelp, here's the next chappie. Sorry it took a few more days to update this one. I haven't had the time to stop and write. I was quite pleased to see that people were actually reading this! You have no idea how happy it made me when you guys reviewed on it! Thanks to you guys! You're the best! By the way, this was ready yesterday, but my internet connection was super slow, so I decided I might as well go back and put a little bit more in. So therefore, it's about three pages longer than it was originally! Okay… Me stop blabbing so you can read…

* * *

**Last Chapter: **Basically InuYasha finds out that Kouga is on the move… towards the _hanyou's_ home. He asks Kagome to stay inside for her (and his pup's) safety. When Kouga arrives, Kagome appears. InuYasha is at a lost as to what to do. It starts to rain violently…

* * *

**Chapter 4: Curse**

The wind howled in their ears like mournful _youkai. _The rain pelted down, reaching into the roofed porch to wet the few who dared to stand and watch. To anyone that might have stumbled into the scene by chance without knowing the things that had gone on only minutes before, it would have looked like a perfectly staged wax museum. No one moved, and no one spoke. It seemed a curse to even breath.

Kagome's very wet raven black hair whipped around her face like a thousand angry snakes, her tears began to mingle with the rain that stung her face so that no one could tell whether she was crying still or not. But crying she was, and upon close inspection, Sango could see she was actually sobbing. Her regal pale blue kimono, which was now plastered to her frail body, was soiled with mud and rain. Her arms hung uselessly at her sides, longing to hold her bow one more time and end it all right then.

InuYasha and Kouga had been standing in the gateway for at least five minutes just staring at the one another, waiting for one of them to make a move. The _hanyou_ was getting impatient though. He cracked his knuckles ominously and dug one foot into the mud. A low growl escaped his throat and then everything seemed to slow down, almost as if someone had pressed the slow motion button. InuYasha leapt forward into the air. Kouga had just pulled his eyes off of Kagome's weeping figure in time to dodge InuYasha's outstretched claws. The _Inu hanyou_ tucked into a roll, landed and pivoted on one hand, and planted his feet completely ready for Kouga's attack. (IB: it looks really cool in my mind… one of those martial arts kinda moves.)

"This will end quickly!" Kouga snarled, his pride completely hurt at the fact that he had been caught off guard. The _hanyou_ only bared his fangs in response.

Kouga raced forward, his legs a blur due to the speed at which he ran. Just when it seemed he was going to charge straight into InuYasha, he veered off to the left and circled around InuYasha and planted two fists into his kidneys. Totally caught off guard by the change in direction, InuYasha could only tense for the hits and fall forward into another roll. He somehow managed to get to his feet before Kouga assaulted him yet again.

Now that InuYasha had finally gotten into the feeling of fighting, his senses tuned out all the thundering rain, the howling wind, the sobs of his mate, and the shouts of a nervous Shippou. All he could see and hear was Kouga's scent and the speed of his feet. Now the wolf leader was circling around him, sizing him up for another attack. Without warning, Kouga lunged at InuYasha, but he was ready this time.

"_Sankon tessou_!" InuYasha unleashed his claws at the just the right moment, gauging Kouga straight across his chest before he could turn aside and avoid the blow.

The now bloodied wolf stumbled back and brought one hand off his chest to look down at the blood that now dripped from it. He seemed shocked that this early on in the fight, he was the first to lose blood. He looked up at the man standing several feet away and growled. Now he was mad**.  
**

* * *

Kagome sat there on her heels watching the two men fight over her. To her, it was a pointless to fight over something that was already someone else's rightfully. She found it even more pointless because she had no desire to be Kouga's mate. Chills ran up and down her spine when she thought about living in a cave with him. Cold, damp, no privacy. That did not sound appealing.

Tears continued to roll down her face and her hair continued to whip around her, blocking her view of the fighting at times. Not that she really cared; she didn't want to watch as her husband and her friend fought to the death. Every time one of them let out a howl of pain, she closed her eyes and leaned forward to avoid the sight, and before she knew it, she was leaning completely forward, supporting herself on her hands, her head bowed, feeling as though she was going to retch up her last meal. Somewhere behind her, someone was shouting.

* * *

"InuYasha! Why don't you us the Tessaiga? Pull it out and finish that blasted idiot off!" Miroku shouted from the veranda.

InuYasha called back to him while he blocked Kouga's rapid volley of kicks and punches. "NO! There is no way I'm using Tessaiga! Not with you guys so close and not when I'm on this compound, there's too much that could be ruined!"

Miroku and Sango stepped back at that statement, completely dumbfounded and at a lost for words. Never before had InuYasha cared more about the people around him or the objects around him so much that he refused to pull his sword, even when it could mean a certain victory. Both of them were flabbergasted. What a shock it was to see him so changed after only a few years time. But the couple knew that if Kouga was to do anything to threaten Kagome's safety, all else would be put aside and InuYasha would unsheathe his legendary sword and blow the disrespectful wolf to bits with the _Kaze no Kizu _or some other attack that suited him betterBut now all they could do was wait.

* * *

"Miroku! Please, help him!" Kagome screamed.

InuYasha and Kouga had been fighting nonstop for at least a half an hour now. InuYasha's lip was busted and bleeding, his nose probably broken and bleeding as well, and his body was covered in bruises that had already begun to turn a sickly yellowish, bluish, blackish colour. Kouga was also in bad shape. He had a dozen gauges from InuYasha's claws all over his body, all of them oozing blood, and his nose too was broken and spouting blood. They looked tired as well, as if at any moment one would keel over out of sheer exhaustion.

Now InuYasha was struggling to stay on his own two feet, let alone strike a blow while trying to defend himself and his mate. Kouga was a little better off though, and kept throwing kicks and punches at the struggling _hanyou._ It was all Kagome could do to stay where she was, her fingernails digging longs furrows in the mud in front of her.

"Miroku! You have to help him!" Kagome sobbed, but received no reply.

Miroku stood there watching with his face cut in the deep lines of a grimace. It hurt to watch the exchange of blows, but he knew that he could not interfere with InuYasha's fight. He had to fight the whole thing on his own, or die trying. Now, it was a given, if InuYasha was indeed about to die, Miroku would rush to his aid to save his life but would strike no blow. He would merely act as a barrier. Right now though, the young man still had enough in him to fight his way out of the current situation.

Sango was feeling much the same way. She had been kneeling at Kagome's side for at least fifteen minutes, and she could feel the woman's distress acutely. This was her best friend in pain, and she wanted with all that was in her to go out and help InuYasha in his fight. But she had grown up in a demon exterminator's village, and knew well the ways of higher demons. It was not her place to intervene.

Things did not seem to be faring well for the ill-fated _hanyou._ Kouga definitely had the upper hand, or paw. It seemed completely out of the ordinary for InuYasha to suffer such a loss with so much hanging on his survival. No one dared to believe that he might be getting rusty, only that he was toying with Kouga, putting him off his guard. He would turn around at the last minute and whoop the wolf's furry butt. Or so they hoped.

Kouga landed a hard kick to InuYasha's prone form, sending him rolling across the once immaculate lawn. He landed hard on his back not even ten feet from Kagome. The young woman let out a gasp and reached out to her fallen mate. But just before her fingers could brush against the old tattered fire rat _haori_, InuYasha groaned and lifted himself up. His golden eyes burned with a fire of determination. He would not lose.

"Hey mutt! Why don't you make this easier for me and just lay down and die!" Kouga shouted. His blue eyes glittered with pride at the prospect of killing the famed InuYasha so easily.

In a barely audible voice, InuYasha whispered, "Like **_(bleep!)_** am I going to lay down and die. I will not lose!"

Kouga leapt forward with his _katana_ drawn, ready to run it through InuYasha's heart. His feet ran at ninety to nothing, straight for his opponent. InuYasha stood there, waiting for him. Kagome hid her face in her hands, not wanting to see her love die. Miroku readied his monk's staff, preparing for the worst. Sango pushed herself off the soggy grass and pulled a small dagger from a sheath hidden in the belt of her kimono. Shippou ran to his surrogate mother's side and hid his face in her lap. But fate plays differently when least expected to.

Just when the sharp point of Kouga's _katana_ should have pierced through the red clothe, stealing InuYasha's life, there was a great whoosh of air and the ring of metal against metal echoed throughout the compound. Kagome peeked through her fingers to see InuYasha standing five feet away leaning into his parry of Kouga's thrust. Tessaiga was in full transformation and bristling with anger. Suddenly, InuYasha didn't look quite so tired. With a hard shove, he sent Kouga sprawling across the path at least fifteen feet away.

Everyone leaned forward to see what came next. InuYasha raced towards Kouga and hefted the sword over his right shoulder. With his face plastered with anger he looked every bit like he was going to blow this offender to smithereens.

"_Kaze no… KIZU!!!" _

Four lines of fire raced through the compound straight towards Kouga. Before the wolf leader could get out of the way, the attack hit him full on and sent him, and most of the estate's front wall, flying across the grounds and into the forest. When the smoke had cleared, a great pile of rubble lay forty feet away from the original wall, and somewhere in the midst of all of it, Kouga lay broken.

Slowly, with all the strength he had left, InuYasha made his way to the wreckage. Once he had reached it, he saw some rocks trembling and then go flying. Kouga still lay amid it all, but he only had strength enough to push all the rocks around away, not get up on his feet. The Tessaiga transformed back into a rusted old sword with a puff of smoke and InuYasha put its tip at the base of Kouga's bloodied neck.

"InuYasha, please! Let him go!" Kagome had started running towards them.

He looked down at Kouga and snarled. "Get up filthy wolf, and get the **_(bleep!)_** off my property!"

Kouga looked up and half laughed, half coughed, blood spraying from his mouth. "You're making a big mistake." He said quietly.

"Just get your **_(bleep!)_** off of my land!"

Kouga's face turned hard as granite and he eased himself up to a standing position. He eyed the _hanyou_ in front of him and the young woman racing their direction. "That pup that she bears wont live long enough to breath the air of this world, you disgusting _hanyou._ I swear that by the _kami_ that that pup will die!_" _ With that Kouga raced off with all speed in the form of a giant whorl wind.

InuYasha's heart stopped beating. If there was anything he was scared of most it was Kagome or his child dieing. Now Kouga had said that the pup would die, and a demon curse was not to be taken lightly, and InuYasha knew that well.

"InuYasha! Are you ok? What's wrong?" Kagome had reached him and was now peering at his scowling face with concern.

"I'm fine." He turned to face his wife and gave her a half-hearted smile. He sheathed his sword and draped his arm around Kagome's shoulders. She wrapped her arm around his waist and allowed him to lean against her. He was too tired and worried to be proud of his victory**.  
**

* * *

"InuYasha! Stop moving! I can't get the bandage on right when you squirm like that!" Kagome threw up her hands in frustration. She'd been trying to clean InuYasha up for a whole hour.

He sat there looking completely miserable. "Kagome, you're alright, aren't you?"

Kagome stopped half way between the low table and their shared futon, a bloody wet rag dripping from her hand onto the hard wood floor. "I'm fine InuYasha."

InuYasha's adorable white dog-ears swiveled on top of his head to listen to the squeals of Shippou who was chasing butterflies outside their window. He had hoped that some day his child, be it a boy or girl, would do the same thing. He had hoped to be able to hear them laughing. Now he was sure that that dream would never come true.

Kagome knelt next to him, taking in everything. His bronzed washboard abs rose and fell in sync with his calm breathing, his silvery hair lay limply around his face and back. He looked fine, health wise. All his wounds had been treated and wrapped up; his old _haori _was cast aside to be washed, if it could withstand another wash. But he looked horrible, like his best friend had died.

"InuYasha? What's wrong?" Kagome asked as she placed her hands lightly on his crossed legs. She gazed up into his amber eyes hoping to see something.

"Nothing. I'm just tired," His tone abruptly changed back to his usual annoyed manner, "I'll be fine. Just stop fussing over me! I ain't a child!" He pushed Kagome back lightly and pulled his under shirt back on.

She frowned at him for being so rough, but inside she breathed a sigh of relief. He was back to his usual self. But as to what had had him so down, Kagome wasn't sure she'd ever find out**.  
**

* * *

"Kagome-chan, are you sure you're feeling ok?" Sango stared closely at her friend's face. She could have sworn the girl was a deep shade of green.

Kagome waved off Sango's concerns and said simply, "Yeah! I'm fine, those eggs we had this morning just aren't sitting right. That's all."

"Ok. If you say so." Sango leaned back against the side of the hot pool.

"I do feel like I'm getting fatter though. And I'm eating less! How does that work?" Kagome added before sinking back down into the hot water.

Today was the first day that the girls had had a chance to get away and sit in the bathhouse for a while. And sitting there, with the water splashing around and rocks sticking up out of the water here and there, the nostalgia was overpowering. Sango couldn't help but glance over her shoulder for Miroku. She smiled at the memory. Beside her, Kagome was doing her best just to keep her breakfast in her stomach. _Poor Kagome_. _She looks terrible. _

Suddenly a thought popped into Sango's head. It wasn't something that she would have thought of before, if the signs had been a little different. But they all pointed in one very clear direction.

"Kagome-chan, when was your last cycle?"

Kagome bolted upright from her seat and looked at Sango as though she was an alien. Then, slowly, she eased back and pondered the question for a moment. "I don't know. It's late this month. Maybe a month and a half, or two months. I'm not too sure. Why?"

"Have you considered the fact that you might be pregnant?"

Kagome turned to her friend with an expression that could have been disbelief, or nausea. She had not thought of that. As a matter of fact, the thought had not even crossed her mind once since the time that Sango had told her that she was pregnant with Miroku's first child. This was the one thing she had wished for, the thing that InuYasha wanted more than anything else. Her eyes glazed over as scenes of the future, or how she thought the future would look like, flashed passed her. She was cuddling a tiny toddler; InuYasha was throwing a little child high into the air, the two of them stood over a small cradle. The thoughts brought a happy smile to her face.

She sighed. "Do you think it could be possible?"

Sango smiled at her and replied as best she could. "It's probable. You haven't been feeling so good for the past three weeks, you feel like you're getting fat even though you can't eat, and you haven't had a cycle for two months. I would have to say yes."

"Sango, if I'm pregnant, that means our kids will be able to play with each other! They'll grow up together!" Kagome could not help the grin that suddenly ached to be shown.

"We'll be able to compare stretch marks too!" Sango joked as she pointed to the marks that were starting to appear around her belly.

Kagome silently made a note to herself that she would find the best lotion for stretch marks. She didn't want them if it could be helped. She remembered the bottles of anti-stretch mark lotion she'd seen in the grocery store, and tried to remember how much it had cost.

"I think it'd be a better idea to learn how to make baby clothes together." Kagome offered happily.

Sango giggled happily at that. She had always wanted to have a child near the same time as Kagome, so then they could raise their children together. Now that dream was actually going to come true! She and Kagome sat there in the hot water for a long time just talking about the things that they would do once their kids were born. _(IB: Just so you guys know,_ _about a week or two has passed since the fight.)_

* * *

"InuYasha, I wanna go home for a while." Kagome braced herself for her husband's expected outburst.

"Sure. I'll go with you. Maybe you can stock up on some more Ramen noodles!" He propped himself up on his elbow to look down at his wife. She looked surprised that he had actually willingly said that she could go to her time. He leaned down and gave her a light kiss.

"Ok. Can we go today? I want to do something once I get home. It's really important." Kagome asked as she snuggled into InuYasha's firm chest. He smiled down at her.

"What could be so important that you would want to leave so soon?"

"Just something. So can we?"

"Sure." Kagome leapt off the futon squealing with joy, making InuYasha cringe at the volume of her merriment. He watched her as she zipped to and fro from dresser to cabinet grabbing her tattered old yellow backpack, a few pairs of jeans and a few shirts and underwear. She shoved it all into the backpack and hefted it onto her shoulder.

"Aren't you ready yet?" She asked impatiently.

He looked at her for a moment before saying anything. "You might want to get dressed before you jump into the well." He pointed to the revealing morning gown that she wore.

"Why didn't you tell me before?!" Kagome shouted as her pack fell from her shoulder with a loud thud and she started rummaging through a drawer for some clothes. InuYasha chuckled at his wife's antics and got out of bed to dress.

Kagome was doing a little dance to get into her jeans. It was now that she wished she had done a little more exercise. Silently she swore to herself that she would start running or something to keep off the unneeded weight. She would only allow herself to gain as much weight as was needed for the baby to be healthy. Once she'd successfully gotten into her jeans and zipped them up, she pulled on a loose tee shirt and looked at InuYasha expectantly.

He smiled lightly and hefted that heavy bag that he'd carried so many times before and let out a soft "Keh". They slid back the door and Kagome at once went to find Sango and tell her where they planned on going.

"Hey Sango, we're going through the well. I'm not too sure when we'll be back, but it shouldn't be more than a week. I'll be sure to get you something, okay?" Kagome said as she slid back the door to the living room.

"Yeah, okay. Miroku and I will take good care of the place." Sango gave Kagome a warm hug, as best she could with her stomach getting as big as it was.

Just then Shippou came flying through the door and wrapped his tiny little arms around his mother's legs. InuYasha growled at him, but the _kitsune_ boy paid him no heed. Kagome picked him up and cradled him in her arms and said goodbye.

"Don't let that stupid mutt hurt you! I don't want to lose my mother!" Shippou glared pointedly at the _hanyou. _

"Why you little runt!" InuYasha grabbed him out of Kagome's arms and proceeded to pummel his little red head with punches, or would have if the floor had suddenly not risen up to meet him.

"_Osuwari!" _Kagome stuck her nose defiantly in the air, swept Shippou off the floor, and headed out toward the well, leaving InuYasha cursing colourfully to the floorboards. Sango laughed lightly behind her hand and Miroku simply shook his head.

* * *

Ten minutes later, all five of them stood in front of the bone eater's well. InuYasha was nursing a sore nose and Shippou was nursing a rather large goose egg at the top of his tiny head. Kagome gently sat him down on the ground and gave one more round of hugs, not without a quick feel from Miroku, who was pummeled by three people at once. Needless to say, he nursed a few bruises for the next week or so.

So, having said all their goodbyes, the two jumped into the well and let the magic sweep over them. In seconds, they were standing on the floor of the well, five hundred years later. InuYasha hoisted Kagome up into his arms and jumped out of the well and into the Higurashi shrine.

It had been at least three months since the last time she'd seen her mom, Souta, and _Ojii-chan._ The moment InuYasha set his wife down, she was off, racing towards the back door of her childhood home. She pushed the door back, knocking it off its track, and threw off her shoes.

"Momma! Souta! _Ojii-chan! _I'm home!" InuYasha smiled at her enthusiasm. She really was glad to be home.

"Kagome! We were wondering when you'd come visit again! We missed you!" Kagome's mom was the first to greet her.

"Welcome home InuYasha." Mrs. Higurashi gave her son-in-law a light hug and was surprised when he hugged her back.

She shook her head in surprise and turned to address her daughter. "Souta and _Ojii-chan_ are out getting me some groceries. Come on in and put your stuff up in your room. I left everything the way it was. You know Souta wanted to turn your room into an office?"

* * *

Kagome and her mom continued to chat for hours about the small stuff that had happened while she was gone. InuYasha instead chose to lay on Kagome's old bed and take in the scents of her room. There were so many different smells in that room. He felt that he could see every stage of her life in this room. A baby girl toddling around on the floor pushing around little wooden blocks; a young girl playing dress up or dolls with her friends; a teenager doing homework; now a young wife trying to keep a hold on her youth. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would take him and his worries away. But that never happened.

Just as he started to slip into a doze, he heard the sound of Souta shouting, and the sounds of the door sliding open loudly and groceries hitting the floor with a very loud thud. Mrs. Higurashi was complaining about how rebellious her youngest was getting. Then there were feet stamping up the stairs and a door slamming shut. InuYasha cringed. Slowly he got off the bed and made his way to the kitchen where he could smell the girls were cooking.

"Kagome, I really have no idea what to do with him! He's getting so hard to work with!" Mrs. Higurashi threw her sudsy hands up into the air in a sign of defeat.

"I always wondered what it would be like to have a boy. Hey momma, you wouldn't happen to have any pregnancy tests, would you?" InuYasha stopped dead in his tracks outside the kitchen door.

He could only imagine the look on Mrs. Higurashi's face at Kagome question. Her eyes must have been as big as saucers. But her answer surprised the curious _hanyou_. "Do I look like someone who would keep a home pregnancy test here?" there was a slight pause, in which InuYasha heard Kagome sigh. "They're on the top shelf in the medicine closet. I kept some just after you two got married for times like this. Oh, and Kagome?"

The young woman stopped and turned to listen to her mother. "Tell me if it's positive, okay? We'll go in tomorrow and check with Doctor Tsurubuchi."

"Alright momma I will_. Arigotou_." With that, Kagome rushed out of the kitchen post haste. It was all her husband could do to duck behind the door to avoid being seen.

He waited until the door to the bathroom had been slammed shut before he slid from his hiding spot into the kitchen. He sighed heavily as he dropped down on a chair by the counter. Mrs. Higurashi didn't bother to turn from the dishes she was washing, she knew he son-in-law well enough. She picked up a dirty plate and began to clean it vigorously.

"I suppose you heard all of that?" She asked as she stacked the finished dish into the rack to her right.

"Keh."

"You're worried about Kagome and the baby. Right?" She continued her work while she asked, but this time she turned to look at InuYasha. He just stared at her in puzzlement. This woman was smart!

"She'll be ok. She's strong." Another plate dropped into the rack to dry.

"If I _was_ worried, it wouldn't really be Kagome that I'd worry about. I know she can do it." He shot back, trying to keep his cool.

Mrs. Higurashi merely smiled down at the dishwater. "You're worried about the baby. How will it be excepted into this world?"

His resolve broke. "Kagome can except me because she loves me, but what about the baby? How will people see the child of a _hanyou_ and a human?" For a short while, he had actually forgotten completely about the curse.

_"Koi ni jouge no hedate nashi._ Just remember that proverb." The woman said as she grabbed five bowls and began to set the table in the dining room.

"Keh! Who says that anyone besides the pup's family will love it?" He said as he rose to grab the chopsticks out of their drawer and set them at their assigned places. Everyone had their own pair, worn by time and use, each had their name carved into the top. He set down each pair and stood over his plate holding the last pair, which was newer than the others. Slowly he turned them over in his fingers. He looked as if he was about to cry when the characters of _his _name were visible, and his ears did a little dance on top of his head, not quite sure what to make of it all.

"I got those just after you two got married. I've been meaning to give them to you. Maybe you can keep them here so that when you come home you have a pair of your own." She smiled at him from the doorway holding a very hot pot of _oden._

InuYasha turned to her and gave her a winning smile and set them down beside his bowl. "_Arigotou."_

She dipped her head and smiled even wider than before. Just then, the old family cat, Buyo, rubbed up against Mrs. Higurashi's leg. He mewed loudly, begging to be fed.

"InuYasha, would you mind feeding Buyo? His bowl's in the kitchen, and the cat food is in the cupboard under the sink."

InuYasha had just scooped the fat cat up into his arms and started heading towards the kitchen when Kagome came racing back down the stairs and ran face first into InuYasha, sending the cat flying towards the kitchen, and InuYasha on to the ground with Kagome. She smiled widely into his face and kissed his lips happily.

"What the heck do you think you were doing running into me?" He said in a feigned growl.

In response, Kagome smothered InuYasha with even more kisses. He was not about to tell her to stop, no, he liked it too much to do that. So he kissed her back with equal fury, and the two of them would have stayed that way for forever, had a certain someone not come up to interrupt them.

"Jeez you guys! Get a frickin' room!" Souta grumbled as he inched passed them toward the table and the food that was surely waiting for him.

Immediately, the couple righted themselves and a blush as red as beets flooded both of their cheeks. InuYasha cleared his throat and helped Kagome to her feet. Both of them took their places at the low table and waited for Mrs. Higurashi sit before they began to eat**.  
**

* * *

"Hey InuYasha?"

"Mhm…?" InuYasha rolled over as best he could on Kagome's tiny double bed and looked at the girl that had just called him. He blinked back the sleep that had caked itself over his eyes and waited for the reason why he was awake.

"Do you think you'll be okay tomorrow when momma and I go to the doctor's office? Souta will be here, and so will _Ojii-chan_." Kagome fiddled absentmindedly with the lace that lined the comforter.

"Kagome, I'll be fine. I just don't understand why I can't come." He said sleepily.

"It's a mother-daughter thing."

"Well, mother-daughter thing or not, I ain't lettin' you run off to the doctor without me there. You're my mate and my wife, therefore, it's my duty to protect you." He was beginning to wake up now.

"InuYasha, it's just a routine check-up! It's not like I plan on jumping off of any buildings!" Kagome sat up in the bed and looked down at her husband indignantly.

"Kagome, not so loud! I never said that, but I would feel better if I was there with you. This is our child we're talking about here!" He finished fiercely.

Kagome was taken aback for a second, her mouth hung open like a catfish that had just surfaced for breadcrumbs. How had he known that she was pregnant? As far as she knew, only Sango and momma knew about it. How could he have known about it?

"How did you know about that!?"

"Kagome, calm down. I've known for at least two months now. Maybe more. Your scent changed. Plus, I could hear the second heart beat when you slept." He soothed her and gently pulled her back down into the bed.

"But why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"I wanted to wait for to figure it out for yourself. Took you a while though. Humans; they're so slow sometimes." InuYasha scoffed.

"Well, can you tell what it is?" Kagome queried, choosing to ignore the insult.

"Nope, not yet. Now Kagome, will you please go back to bed?" InuYasha whined.

"I guess, but only if you can answer one more question,"

"What the **_(bleep!)_** is it?" He was getting annoyed now.

"What is Sango having? Is it a boy or girl?" Kagome asked as she snuggled into her husband's warm chest.

"Both." He grumbled into his pillow.

"She's having twins!? Oh my _gosh!_" Kagome nearly jumped out of bed to run and tell her friend that she was expecting twins.

"**_(bleep!)_** it, Kagome! It's two in the morning! Now get back into bed!" InuYasha growled as he pulled Kagome back down into the bed for the second time.

The young woman allowed herself to be pulled back, and again nestled herself into her husband's chest and let her smile grow into a cheesy wide grin. Slowly, her hands made their way to InuYasha's ears and gently began to rub them between her thumb and index finger. She whispered a quiet thank you and fell fast asleep to the sound of InuYasha's purring, if a dog can in fact purr. He pulled Kagome close to him and began to rub the small of her back, letting himself dream about the family that he hoped would come to be.

**End of Chapter**

* * *

**Translator:**

_**Katana**:_ Word for "sword" in the Japanese language. It is also used specifically for a type of Japanese backsword or long sword in use after the 1400s: a curved, single-edged sword traditionally used by the samurai.

_**Osuwari**:_ Sit

_**Ojii-chan**: _Grandpa

_**Arigotou**: _Thank you

_**Koi ni jouge no hedate nashi**: _Love makes all men equal.

_**Oden**: _a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth. Ingredients vary according to region and between each household.

* * *

**To the reviewers: Terra34:** Thanks, here's the next update, hope you liked it!** g2fan: **Hey, thanks a lot for the review! I really did try to get their attitudes right. I hope I got this chapter right! **Anime Wildfire:** Yeah, I wish I had more reviews too, but oh well. Thank you for being one of the faithful few that does review!** T G Athena: **Hey, here's the update you've been waiting for! **HakuDragon346:** There you have it, there's no cliffies! Just for you! Hope you liked it!

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**Last notes: **I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter. I worked really hard on it. I had hoped for more reviews than I got, but that's ok. Maybe this time. Anyway, I don't plan on this being very long, ten chapters at the most. I haven't really got the time for a loooong story. So anyways, read and review, PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! 


	5. Another Long Day

**Disclaimer: **Nope, don't own them, only this story is mine.

**Author's Notes:** Here you go! Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the long delay. I've been having a hard time figuring out the middle stuff. I have the final chapter completely thought out, and even staged, but I can NOT figure out what should go in between! So maybe those of you who actually read this would care to give me some ideas as to what I should do about that. Oh well, life goes on. I hope you guys'll forgive me. I made this as long as I could, and even added in a surprise encounter with a ghost of Kagome's past to put some more filler in. Hope you enjoy it. Just make sure you hit that review button when you've read it all!

**AaA**

**Last Chapter: **InuYasha and Kouga face off and just when it seems as though InuYasha is beat for good, he jumps back and delivers a powerful blow. Before Kouga runs away in his battered state, he throws a curse on the baby that grows inside Kagome's belly. InuYasha worries but tells Kagome nothing. They return to the Modern Era and Kagome reunites with her family.

**Chapter 5: Another Long Day**

"Kagome? Hurry up! We were supposed to be at the clinic ten minutes ago!" Mrs. Higurashi shouted into the house.

What answered her was the patter of socked feet on a hard wood floor and the sound of InuYasha's puppyish whimpering. Kagome shouted something to the effect of "Stay here!" and rushed out the door to meet her mother.

"Don't forget your shoes."

"Gah! What is it with me forgetting things?" Kagome slammed her feet into a pair of brown leather loafers almost identical to the ones she had worn during her time with the InuYasha gang and all their adventures. After finally getting her feet in them, she raced over to the car and yanked open the passenger door. She tossed her purse in and dropped down into the bucket seats then slammed the door shut and waited expectantly for her mother to get in.

"You know, you wouldn't have to rush around like this if you had gotten up on time this morning." Mrs. Higurashi said calmly as she brought the car to life. To her left Kagome slumped down further into the seat.

"I know. But InuYasha was still asleep when the alarm went off, so I kinda wanted to let him sleep in. Besides, Doctor Tsurubuchi is always late." Kagome smiled.

A smirk spread across her mother's features as memories of the lateness to which Kagome had been referring to. Mae had been in labour with Kagome and was even crowning before Doctor Tsurubuchi had waltzed into the delivery room to help deliver the tiny little infant. It had been the same way with Souta. The doctor had simply said that her lunch break and the Tokyo traffic had kept her from the office, but Mae was sure that Tsurubuchi had been busy with her husband and their "talks." But both deliveries had gone without a hitch. Both Kagome and Souta were born with little difficulty aside from some painful side effects of child birthing.

Over on her side of the car, Kagome was watching the city sights whiz by. Her long black hair fluttered around her face in a way that reminded her of the times when she used to ride on InuYasha's back. But the places the passed by her instantly pulled her back to the times she had spent in this era. Waiting at the bus stop for the school bus, walking down the sidewalk to the grocer's, and riding her bike with her friends down to the harbour. Before she knew it, they had pulled into the clinic's parking lot.

"Don't forget your purse." Mrs. Higurashi called to Kagome as she exited the car and walked to the entrance of the crisp white building.

"Yeah, I know! Sheesh!"

Instantly the smell of antiseptic and band-aids flooded both women's nostrils. It was almost overpowering and sent both women's hands to their noses. What had happened to the sweet smells of potpourri and flowers that had once owned the waiting room? The room was cold and distant, seemingly saying, "We'll fix you, but you have to leave right after." Nobody called greetings or even offered up a "good day" to the pair as they made their way to the desk.

"How can I help you?" The young desk worker asked curtly to the pair that had just walked in.

"We have a ten o'clock appointment with Doctor Tsurubuchi. That would be for a Taisho Kagome and Higurashi Mae." Mrs. Higurashi replied sweetly.

"She's busy with another patient at the moment. I'll tell her you're waiting as soon as she's finished with them. Take a seat in the waiting room if you please. I'll call you when the doctor is ready to see you."

The two women made their way to the waiting room, which seemed to be overly populated by nosy four-year-olds and crying babies. The room was a cold blue and white with crisp white curtains and perfectly clean beige carpeting. Here and there lay heaps of new magazines and even a few broken plastic soldiers and blocks. Kagome and her mother sat down on the far side of the room, away from the screaming children.

"I remember when the desk workers actually knew my name. This room was a lot more homey too." Mae sighed as she sat down.

"Must have had a major make-over recently. And fired all the old workers." Kagome said quietly.

"I miss the way it used to be." Mae sighed sadly. Too many things were changing too quickly.

"Nothing stays the same. It's been at least six years since the last time you were in here anyway." Kagome reminded her mother.

"Yes, I know."

The two sat on the hard blue couches for what seemed like an eternity before a voice rang over the intercom that the doctor was finally available to see them. They picked up their belongings and made their way down the cold hallways towards the room designated as Doctor Tsurubuchi's examining room. In stark contrast to the rest of the building, the room was a warm brown with bright pictures of pregnant woman and smiling children. The lady that greeted them seemed equally as warm as the room.

"Mrs. Higurashi! It's been ages! Welcome back. And to think that this girl that I helped to bring into the world might actually be having a baby of her own, that just blows my mind!" She cooed as she issued the women into the room and shut the door.

Kagome sat down in one of the three brown leather seats and listened quietly as Mae and the doctor chatted small talk for the next fifteen minutes. Finally the women seemed to get back on track of what they were really there for and the doctor turned to address Kagome with a warm smile.

"Ok, now for what you guys really came for. There will be a few things we'll have to do before I can tell you for sure if you're pregnant. How about we take an ultrasound first?"

**AaA**

InuYasha pouted royally on the couch in front of the TV for the longest time before Souta stirred from his hibernation and stumbled down the stairs towards sustenance. InuYasha heard him coming and shouted in the general direction of the zombie-like teenager.

"Hey kid! When's your mom and Kagome s'posed to be back?"

"How should I know? I didn't even know they were gone. Great! That means no pancakes or waffles! _**(bleep!)**_ it!" came the groggy reply.

InuYasha smirked at the words that issued from Souta's young mouth. He had done some damage on the once innocent youth. He walked slowly to the kitchen to see if he could scrounge up from sort of food to fill his rumbling belly.

"Kid, ya got any ramen?"

"For breakfast?! You don't eat noodles for breakfast, you eat cereal or eggs or bacon or pancakes!" Souta said as he grabbed himself a bowl and a box of cheerios.

"Not me. I can eat ramen for every meal!" InuYasha boasted as he watched the boy pour out some milk over the contents of his bowl and begin to eat with fervour.

"Well, are you gonna get a bowl and eat or are you just gonna stand there and stare at me?" Souta asked impatiently, slightly unnerved by the _hanyou's _intense gaze.

Slowly InuYasha went through the same steps that Souta had done, first going to the cabinet and grabbing a bowl, then sitting down at the table and pouring some of the strange wheat-and-sugary-honey-smelling things into his bowl and finally pouring the milk over top of it all. He had eaten with the Higurashi family enough to know how to use a spoon, so there was no problem there, but he had no idea what this foreign food would taste like. Tentatively, he lifted a full spoon to his lips and looked at Souta before placing it into his mouth.

"Go ahead. It isn't gonna bite you!" Souta encouraged the man sitting opposite him.

"I ain't scared!" InuYasha growled menacingly. Souta just shrugged and went back to eating his own breakfast.

Satisfied that Souta had been adequately told off, InuYasha pushed the spoon passed his lips and rolled the bits over his tongue and cheeks and bit down on them. A sweet honey flavour flooded his mouth, almost making his eyes water. He was happy for the milk, it seemed to be masking a bit of the intense taste. Slowly he chewed the contents of his mouth and looked down at the bowl, wondering whether what he had just eaten was good or bad. When he finally swallowed, he decided it was good enough to eat and shoved another spoonful into his mouth and chewed contentedly. This human food was pretty good, if not a little bit too sweet at times. Better than raw fish though.

The two guys sat there at the kitchen table for quite a while just munching and staring blankly at one another. Half way through the second bowl of cereal though, there was a great amount of bumbling up on the second floor, from around _Ojii-chan's_ room. The old man seemed to be performing an exorcism of some sort. Of course, he had never really preformed a true exorcism, or anything else of that matter. He was more of a historian anyway.

"That old coot had better quiet down!" InuYasha growled down to his bowl.

"He'll shut up in a minute or two. So, what's it like living in the feudal era now? Naraku's gone, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?" Souta asked through a mouthful of cheerios.

InuYasha's ears perked up from their perches atop his silvery head. He loved to talk about how they had defeated Naraku, bragging rights really. Here was his chance to brag a little more, even if he had done little in the actual destroying of Naraku, that had been Kagome's doing. But the poor _hanyou_ never got a chance to tell the story because just as he opened his mouth, the sound of a sputtering car filled the shrine. Within two seconds the bowls were forgotten on the table and both boys were out on the porch waiting for the two women in their lives to tell the news.

"InuYasha! I have a picture of our baby! Can you believe it?" Kagome shouted as she ran straight to her mate waving an ultrasound picture high.

"Keh! That's impossible! You can't take pictures of unborn pups!"

Kagome waved the picture at the unbelieving man's nose and put one hand defiantly on one hip. "Of course you can! It's called an ultrasound. At least look at it."

InuYasha snatched the picture up and looked down at the fuzzy black-and-white picture. All he could make out was a grey lump in the middle of the picture (_**IB**__Can anyone else read those things? I sure can't!_). His eyebrows lifted and creased his forehead. This all had to be some sort of elaborate joke! There was nothing there. He shoved it back into Kagome's hands.

"There're ain't nothing there!"

"There is! Look, this right here, this is its head, and there's its legs!" Kagome pointed at different grey specks on the paper trying to convince him.

"Keh! It's just a piece of paper with ink on it. Nothing more."

"Oh my gosh! You are the most annoying man I have ever met! You are so stubborn!" Kagome shouted as she stormed off to her old room.

"Nice job, dog-boy! You'd better go apologize to her." Souta leaned on the doorframe and addressed his brother-in-law.

A deep-throated growl rumbled in InuYasha's chest, but he could not deny the fact that he needed to talk to Kagome about the pup. He had thought a lot about it the night before, and his decision was that she stay in the modern era and be safe, but he knew that she would say otherwise, especially with Sango being pregnant too. So, with a killing glare at Souta, InuYasha stalked off towards Kagome's room to talk with her.

**AaA**

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Kagome? Unlock the _**(bleep!)**_ door!" InuYasha pounded on the door for the tenth time, trying to get his mate to let him in.

"Bug off InuYasha! I don't think you really care about our baby!"

"That's it Kagome! That is as far from the truth as you're gonna get. Now open up this door or I'll break it down myself, and you know that I will, Kagome! I mean it!" He could hear some bumping around on the other side and stepped back from the door.

"I have no clue why I'm opening this door." Kagome mumbled to herself, albeit to loudly for InuYasha to not hear. She turned the lock and slowly opened the door then stepped back, giving the disgruntled _hanyou _room to walk by. As soon as his feet were clear of the door, she shut it and locked it again.

Without even looking at him, Kagome sat down at the end of her bed and crossed her arms over her chest. From his place by the window InuYasha could tell that Kagome was mad and hurt, but that would not change his temper. He had to play mad, even if he was sorry. So he painted a scowl over his face, let his "anger" furrow his dark brow, and allowed gravity pull the ends of his lips down towards the floor. Then he scented the tangy smell of salty water rolling off of Kagome. A single crystalline tear traced a line over her cheek and spattered a dark spot on her green skirt.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, Kagome. Don't cry." He felt his well-built façade falling.

"Why? You don't really care." She snapped back.

In a flash, InuYasha was on his knees in front of her. He grabbed her upper arms roughly and shook her once forcing her to look at him. Golden eyes met chocolate for what seemed like forever. Slowly, his lips started moving.

"Kagome, you have no idea how much I care about you and our pup. Every night as you lie sleeping, I worry that our pup won't live to see this world. And if it does, how will it be received. We will love it, and so will our friends, but this is a harsh world, Kagome. Who knows what will happen."

No longer able to hold back the floodgates, tears spilled over Kagome's cheeks. She threw herself down into her lover's arms and buried her face in his shoulder. As usual, InuYasha was at a loss as to what to do with a crying woman, so he simply wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. Once her sobs calmed down, he lifted her chin with his knuckle to look her in the face.

"Kagome, whatever happens, no matter what, we'll get through it together. I swear." He whispered.

Slowly his lips pressed down on hers as her hands wondered up to his velvety ears. A deep growl rumbled through his chest, but Kagome took no heed to it. It was his way of purring. Before either of them could stop, Kagome lay on the floor beneath InuYasha, his lips searching her cheeks, chin, ears, and neck. His hands seemed to work independently, rubbing up and down her sides, his claws tickling the bare skin around her waist. He nipped at her jaw line and throat with his canines, nuzzled her soothingly. This was his way of saying sorry, and Kagome never seemed to mind that fact. A moan escaped her throat, which only egged InuYasha on with a renewed fervour. Slowly, gently, he began to unbutton her blouse with one hand and rub the insides of her thighs with the other. (_**IB**__: Who knew? A guy CAN do two things at once!_) Her hands roved over his sides and ears, and everything in-between. Just when the blouse was fully un-done, he roughly captured her lips in his own and begged for entrance. He was granted it and slowly tasted the inside of her mouth, but broke off shortly after and trailed down her chin, over her throat, and finally to her collar bone and beyond (_**IB:**__ o.O_).

"Kagome? You have a visitor downstairs!" Mae called from behind the door. This sent the pair scampering to pick up and make themselves decent.

Just as Kagome began to button up her shirt, Mrs. Higurashi opened the door and stepped in. "I figured something like this would happen." She said amusedly.

"Mom, can you tell whoever is down there that I'll be down in a minute? Thanks." Kagome snapped in an annoyed voice. Mae nodded and left the room chuckling to herself.

"Just great. Who the heck is calling on me at this time of day?" Kagome whined as she continued to button the shirt and then rake a brush through her disheveled hair.

InuYasha had long before finished making himself presentable, and as such had made himself quite at home on Kagome's old bed, sitting cross-legged in his usual fashion. He watched his mate as she scurried around the room trying to decide whether or not to change or just wear what she had on. Finally she decided to change and threw on old tee shirt and a pair of sweats. After that, she tore out of the room and down the hallway to the stairs, leaving an amused _hanyou_ in her wake.

**AaA**

"She'll be down in a minute or two. Sorry to keep you waiting. Would you like a drink while you wait? And maybe a cookie? I baked them this morning." Mrs. Higurashi was doing her best to entertain the mystery visitor while they waited on Kagome.

"Um… Sure. Is there anyway that I can help you out?" The visitor asked.

"No! You just take a seat in the living room while I go do that, it won't take me two minutes!" Mae said over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen. "That Kagome had better get down here fast!" She sighed quietly. She was running out of things to do, and though the guest was very well behaved and pleasant, she could tell that they were getting a little restless. Kagome had already taken fifteen minutes, and there was still no sign of her. Just as Mae turned the corner, who came bumbling down the stairs and straight into the woman but Kagome.

"Kagome! For goodness sake! What took you so long? Your guest is waiting for you in the living room!" Mrs. Higurashi blustered as she shoved her daughter toward the aforementioned room.

"Who is it?" Kagome asked quickly before her mother disappeared around the corner.

"I can't remember their name, but it's one of your friends from school."

With that, she disappeared and Kagome turned to see this visitor. Once she got to the door, she slid it back just enough to peek in and check who was out there. All she could see was the back of their head, which was covered with short dark brown hair. She hadn't seen any of her school friends in over a year, so it was very easy that it could have been absolutely anybody, boy or girl. So, after taking a deep breath, Kagome pushed back the door fully and walked in.

"Sorry to keep-" Her words caught in her throat as the mystery guest turned around to address her. It was Hojo! Here was the young man that had doted on her in the early years of high school. She had not seen much of him after her second year because medical problems in his family which had forced them to move to Nagasaki. It had been at least three years since she had seen Hojo last.

"Kagome! It's so good to see you again! How have you been?" Hojo bubbled as he wrapped Kagome in a tight hug. Kagome pushed out of it politely and looked at the man in front of her.

"I've been well. What brings you back to Tokyo?" He had changed little in the years that had passed. There was a little bit more worry hanging on the corners of his eyes and lips. The years had been hard.

"Well, I don't know if you heard or not, but my mother was really sick with leukemia. She fought pretty hard for the first year and we thought for sure that she'd pull out of it, but after that things got worse. The chemotherapy just didn't take like we hoped. She died last week, and I came back to bury her next to my dad in the cemetery over by the harbour. I figured since I was already in the area I might as well stop by. Hope you don't mind." Hojo gave a weak smile and sat back down on the sofa.

"Oh, Hojo-kun, I'm so sorry!" Kagome sank down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, no need to be sorry, mother is at rest now." He flashed his old smile, full of charm and leaned back. "So what have you been up to the past three years? You haven't been sick like that one year before I left have you? Your grandfather said that you had gone to America to be treated for some rare cancer. We were all so worried about you! He said the place you were going to was like solitary confinement."

A big sweat drop appeared on Kagome's head. _Ojii-chan_ had always been the one that came up with excuses for Kagome's unexplainable absences back in those school days. He always concocted the weirdest diseases too, which led Hojo to give her presents of an equally odd and medical nature. She had had no knowledge of _Ojii-chan's _last excuse, and now that she did, she silently swore to beat him to a bloody pulp after Hojo left.

"Well, I'm fine now. Was there anything else you came to ask or something?" Kagome leaned back and looked in the general direction of her bedroom, willing InuYasha to stay put. She knew how much he hated Hojo, and if he came down now, he would freak out. He had never been fond of the innocent boy, and had always bothered him when he had come to visit Kagome in her era and found her room full of odd objects that were saturated in his scent.

"Well, yeah, there kinda was." Hojo started fidgeting nervously, which successfully caught Kagome's attention.

"I was just wondering… you know… well, since you've been gone and I've been gone so long… maybe we could get together at some coffee shop or sushi bar and… I dunno, chat, maybe?" He looked up from his lap at Kagome with a sheepish sort of questioning smile.

"Uh, well. Er… I… I'm not sure that would work so well. I, uh, fly back to America tomorrow." Kagome chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh, alright. You can't really do a lot about plane schedules, can ya? Well, we'll just have to get together when you come back." Hojo did not seem the least bit phased by her obvious lie. "Well, I suppose I've intruded long enough, and you probably want to pack your things. I have some things left to do anyway, so I'll just take my leave. Have a safe flight!" Hojo and Kagome had just gotten off the sofa and were hugging goodbye when there came a great commotion in the hallway.

All of a sudden, a certain _hanyou_ burst into the room fuming. He did not seem the least bit pleased with his fists clenched at his sides either. Mae and Souta looked worried too, by the way they hung onto the sliding door as he barged passed. InuYasha's little dog-ears twittered around on their perches, seemingly confused about the turn of events. A low growl rumbled in his chest when he looked at Hojo with his arms around _his_ mate. His eyes narrowed on the man as his addressed Kagome.

"Kagome, what the _**(bleep!)**_ is he doing here? And why's he got his arms around you?" He growled.

"InuYasha, this is Hojo. He's an old friend from school and he just came by to say hi, I think I mentioned him a few times before. Hojo, this is InuYasha, my husband." She said calmly as she pushed out of the hug. "Honey, I told you about Hojo once, remember? He was just leaving anyway." Kagome put on her most disarming smile trying to calm both sides of the feud… if you could call what Hojo was doing feuding.

Hojo stood in dumb shock staring at InuYasha's ears as they swiveled around atop his silvery head. Was it some sort of joke? Was he seeing things, or was this guy really a freak? _I swear I'll never touch the _sake _again! I had no idea it would have this kind of effect on me!_ His mouth had dropped open the moment InuYasha had started speaking, so by now he looked like a freshly caught fish with a gaping mouth and dinner plate sized eyes. When InuYasha finally caught on that the smaller man was staring unabashedly at him a deep growl rumbled through his chest and he popped his knuckles in his normal challenging fashion.

"What the _**(bleep!)**_ do you think you're lookin' at?" His right hand twitched; ready to grab the nonexistent blade by his side. _Great! Why'd I listen to Kagome? I should have brought Tessaiga anyway!_ He thought. Kagome saw the move and quickly started forming a plan to get Hojo out of the house quickly and in one piece.

"InuYasha… _Osuwari_!" The unfortunate _hanyou _took a nose dove into the hardwood floor and immediately started yelling muffled curses to the floor, the rosary around his neck, and the woman that had inflicted the humiliation upon him. Souta of course found this quite hilarious and near split a gut laughing so hard, as did Souta behind the door to the hallway. This only managed to enrage the man on the floor even more. No matter how hard he pulled, the counter pull of the spell kept him plastered to the floor quite painfully. (_**IB: **__You think he'd be used to that by now.)_

Kagome took this time to grab Hojo's hand and race to the door before the spell wore off, which naturally left InuYasha in an even worse mood. Once she reached the door she pushed Hojo's shoes into his arms, shoved him out onto the front porch, and slammed the door behind them.

"I hope you brought a car!" She fairly yelled as she dragged the unfortunate young man towards the shrine's exit.

"Yeah, it's down by the street. Could we stop for just a moment so I can put my shoes on?" Hojo asked, finally coming out of his daze. The young woman skidded to a stop and spouted apology after apology. "It's alright, really. Kagome, what is he? Why does he have ears like that?"

Kagome sighed and brushed a few stray locks of hair out of her face mentally making a note to get it cut before they left. "It's hard to explain." She looked down at Hojo and found him raptly paying attention to her. After heaving a heavy sigh, she threw herself down on the stairs next to him and plunged in. "InuYasha is a _hanyou_. His mother was a human, and his father was an _inu youkai_ lord, over the western part of Japan, I believe. So, he's a half-breed. He's really not all that bad once you get to know him. I mean, he may seem really rough around the edges, which he is, but he really doesn't mean half of what he says. He was treated pretty bad when he was a kid though, because he was half and half, so he's always putting on that tough exterior."

"Hmm. Ok. That wasn't exactly what I was expecting to hear. Thanks for telling me though… That was… interesting." He paused a moment and stretched before continuing. "Well, I should go now. Goodbye Kagome, I hope to see you again sometime." Hojo took the last flight of steps with a renewed fervour.

Just as his car roared around the corner and disappeared, InuYasha came flying down the stairs and landed next to Kagome with a loud curse, not the least bit pleased that she had allowed Hojo to get away. Slowly, he tucked his hands into his wide sleeves and huffed through his nose, which only got him another trickle of blood from the spell's intensity. He brushed it away roughly before turning to Kagome.

"What do you think you were doing letting him get away?" He growled.

"InuYasha, Hojo-kun is my friend and I haven't seen him in over three years. What was wrong with me giving him a hug? It's not like he was going to hurt me or something, and it's not like I was going to run off with him and leave you behind." Kagome said quietly as she got up and turned to walk back towards the shrine entry.

"Kagome, I don't want you or our pup to get hurt or anything. I don't trust that guy, and you know I haven't ever since you first told me about him and your… date… thing. Whatever that is. I don't want him anywhere close to you. You got that?" He shouted at her ascending back.

"InuYasha, for the love of the _kami_, I am not a little child! I can take care of myself! I'm going to go back to the house, and you can stay out here making yourself look like an idiot on the front steps if you want, but don't even think about going after Hojo-kun or I'll you-know-whatyou so hard you won't want to get up for a year! Do you hear me?" She shouted back with equalintensity from the top of the stairs, causing several passersby to stop and stare.

InuYasha huffed and folded his hands into his sleeves again and followed his mate back into the house where Mae, Souta, and _Ojii-chan _waited for them. Of course, Mrs. Higurashi was not the least bit pleased with InuYasha for knocking the living room door off its track, and demanded that InuYasha put it back right away, which he did with much grumbling and complaining.

"_Ojii-chan!_ What the heck were you doing telling everyone I went to America because I had cancer! What were you thinking?" Kagome asked with her hands planted firmly on her hips as soon as she got into the house.

"What was I supposed to tell them? Oh, she went back in time to the feudal era to fight _youkai _and _mononoke_ and such. No, I thought I was being quite creative in telling them you went to America for treatment of some rare cancer! But no gratitude for the one that always covered your backside when you went off gallivanting through time!" _Ojii-chan_ huffed.

"I should be six feet under by now because of all the diseases you've felt kind enough to bestow upon me in my absence! Why couldn't you say that I moved to China to live with some relatives on dad's side? Or that I went to Korea to visit a friend for a while? Did those options just not enter your old brain?" Kagome raged. When no answer was given, she simply threw up her hands in frustration and resign and stormed off to her bedroom.

The old man sighed heavily and waited for the telltale door slam before speaking his mind. "I'm beginning to think that Kagome is turning more and more into that _inu hanyou_ of hers, and that scares me." The old man sighed loudly, a bit too loudly.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" InuYasha shouted from the living room where Souta was struggling to teach him how to play poker. InuYasha's ears were far more sensitive than _Ojii-chan_ had expected.

"It's nothing." Came the reply.

"Mae, I have had quite enough of this constant bickering. I think I'm going to go out to the shrine's storage room and write some _sutra_. Do call me when things cool over, and when dinner is ready." With that, _Ojii-chan_ walked out the front door and around the house to the only little storage room on the shrine's expansive compound.

Mae sighed. It was a lot harder to keep two hot heads under one roof than she had first expected when Kagome and InuYasha married. Kagome had not always been that way, but given her present state of pregnancy and the fact that she had lived the past four years with a very volatile _hanyou_, this sort of behavior seemed only to be expected. Kagome still leaned more to the sweet and caring side, but she had changed, there was no denying that. Mrs. Higurashi smiled slightly when she heard the distant sound of yelling from the direction of Kagome's room. They were at it again, most likely over the whole Hojo incident. _Oh well, newly weds and newly carrying mothers will be what they will be._ She thought to herself. Now it was time to get dinner started.

**AaA**

"Kagome! Come help me set the table! Dinner is almost ready." Mrs. Higurashi shouted up the stairs. She had learned the hard way not to open Kagome's door.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Give me a minute." Kagome answered from the bathroom.

Mae went about putting the fried rice and noodles, dipping sauces, and _tonkatsu domburi_ into clean serving bowls, as well as setting out the _sake_. Just as she had finished cleaning the cooking dishes up, a very sick looking Kagome stumbled into the kitchen clutching her stomach. She practically threw herself onto one of the little kitchen table's chairs and heaved a sigh.

"Is it always this bad?" Kagome threw a questioning glance at her mother.

"Yes and no. You were terrible, I couldn't keep anything aside from _miso_ soup down, and you refused to let me eat anything substantial until the third month! But Souta was good; I could eat just about anything, except western food." Mae chuckled at the memory of her days of child bearing.

"Great. The _kami_ are making me pay for that now with this little child. Some days I'll be fine, and then others I won't even be able to stomach the smell of food! Oh momma! How am I supposed to stay alive when I can't even smell food without throwing up?" Kagome whined as she lay her head down on the table.

Mrs. Higurashi put down her wet dishtowel, sat down next to her ailing daughter, and gently rubbed her back. She could very clearly remember how she had felt when she had been in that situation, and she had to agree with Kagome in saying that the _kami_ where making her pay for her trouble. All she could do now was give her daughter some of the broth from her cooking and send her off to her room to rest, and that is just what she did.

"Hey sweetie, take this broth and do your best to drink it all without emptying your stomach again. You just go up to your room and rest while you do that too, I don't want you spewing on all the good food I prepared!" Mae nudged Kagome lovingly.

"But I was going to set the table."

"If you think you're up to it, go ahead, but if you don't then go up to your room and rest. I don't want you to starve yourself, or to work yourself till you're nothing but skin and bones."

Kagome looked up at her mother and blew a long breath out of her teeth. She brushed back some stray bangs and picked up the small bowl of broth and grabbed a ceramic spoon then left the room slowly. She could not do much more than thank her mother for her care, already the smell of the soup was sending her stomach jumping and spinning. She was glad that InuYasha was in the toilet room when she got to her room, she had no strength to deal with his picking and pestering. She knew he meant it all in love, but she had no desire for that. So while she sipped slowly on her soup and rested her weary body, the rest of the family, including a very worried _hanyou_, sat on _tatami _mats around the low table and ate a delicious meal.

**AaA**

"Kagome, are you ok?"

Kagome woke the next morning to see her husband's face only inches away from her own peering at her with concern. She had fallen asleep shortly after finishing her soup and not long before her fuming husband had returned to their room. Kagome was quite surprised she hadn't woken up when he had come in, but then, InuYasha could be as silent as a gentle breeze and as gentle as a lamb when he wanted to be.

"You kept muttering things in your sleep last night. It seemed like you were running away from someone or something. You kept calling for me too." InuYasha knelt down next to the bed and waited for a reply.

"I'm fine. I was just having weird dreams about the past… That's all." Kagome yawned as she sat up and stretched the sleep out of her limbs. Looking down at her arms, she could tell she had slept hard; they were covered in red marks from the sheets. _**(IB: **__Does anyone else ever get that? I get it all the time!_

The young man climbed up onto the bed next to his wife and draped a loving arm around her shoulders. There the two sat until long after the sun had reached the mid-morning marker, then it was only because Souta had come to the door, and stayed outside the room, asking for InuYasha's company in a game of poker, which the _hanyou_ wasn't even close to comprehending.

"I'm gonna whoop your skinny butt!" He bluffed as the younger boy ran down the stairs to set up.

"InuYasha, let's go home tonight. I wanna see Sango and Miroku soon." Kagome watched as the_ hanyou_ pulled on a pair of loose red rip away pants and white wife beater, a little used gift from her mother.

"Yeah, good idea. I was going to suggest that myself. I'm tired of these clothes!" He bumbled, waving a hand over his legs and chest to show the unusual attire.

"Well, if you didn't eat so sloppily, mom wouldn't have to wash your _haori_, and you wouldn't have to wear those clothes. But you do look pretty nice in them!" Kagome said playfully, a mischievous glint in her chocolate eyes.

It was far too much for the young man to withstand. Within seconds he was leaning over the bed, Kagome's arms wrapped around his neck, their lips locked in a kiss. Inch by inch, he made his way onto the bed and pulled Kagome to lay beneath him, his clawed hands running the length of her sides and the insides of her thighs. This only managed to excite the young woman even more and her attentions turned to the exposed neck and collarbone above her. Playfully she nibbled and kissed the heated skin there, begging him to react, and he did. Greedily he caught her lips with his own, his tongue asking permission to enter while his hands moved to lift the nightshirt she wore. Once the shirt was off, his lips trailed down to her chin, passed her throat, and then to the newly exposed skin beneath. There he remained, nibbling and kissing, for some time before making his way back up to her lips.

"InuYasha! The chips have been set up for the past fifteen minutes! You said you were going to play with me!" Souta shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

InuYasha nuzzled his nose into Kagome's raven-black hair and growled. "I'm gonna kill him." Kagome smiled and rubbed her hands up and down the _hanyou's_ back to calm him. Gently, she pushed him up and sat up.

"You promised him you would go play, so you had better go do that." She said. After receiving a truly dejected look from her mate, she rolled off the bed and pulled on her underwear, t-shirt, and sweats. "I'm gonna do some last minute shopping with momma before we leave. I should be back after lunch."

InuYasha watched as she pulled a brush through her hair and grabbed her purse. Heaving a sigh he rose from the bed and stole one last kiss before heading off down the stairs to the awaiting pre-teen boy. This was going to be another long day.

**End of Chapter**

**AaA**

**Translator:**

_**Hanyou:**_ Half demon

_**Ojii-chan:**_Grandpa

_**Osuwari:**_ Sit

_**Inu Youkai: **_Dog demon

_**Kami: **_Spirits or gods

_**Tatami:**_ Woven straw mats used as flooring in traditional and modern Japanese-style homes.

_**Sake:**_Japanese rice wine served hot, sometimes cold. Often drunk at special occasions.

_**Miso Soup:**_ traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which is dissolved softened miso. Various solid ingredients like wakame seaweed, tofu, and mushrooms are then added to make the finished soup.

_**Haori:**_Jacket worn over kimono by both men and women (formerly only by men).

_**Tonkatsu Donburi:**_ It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced to bite sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage.

AaA 

**To the reviewers: T G Athena:** Thanks thanks for the compliment! You're making me blush! Anyway, i hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much! **Thunder Brother Hiten Luver: **Guess you'll just have to wait and see! And now that I'm home for good, you won't have to wait as long! **Shadowmika:** Sorry it's not as "soon" as it could have been, I was trying.

**AaA**

**Last notes: **I hope and pray you guys enjoyed this chapter. It took me forever to write it! I had no idea where to go and what to do. That's my problem; I have the whole last three chapters planned out and everything, but the stuff in-between is no man's land! I have no idea! GAH! Anyway… You had better review to this chapter; I've worked hard enough on it! Please?


	6. My Way or the Highway

**Disclaimer: **You guessed it…

**Author's Notes:** Well, I started this chapter with almost no direction whatsoever! Hopefully, it wets your tastes and leaves you hungry for more, but I can only hope. It's kinda disheartening to see that so few people reviewed, but then, I guess my other story appeals to more people. Oh well. Enjoy the next chapter and make sure you review if you have something you wanna say, or even if you don't!

**AaA**

**Last Chapter: **Kagome and InuYasha are home in the Modern Era and Kagome went gone to the local clinic to get a checkup on the baby. She returns with an ultrasound and gets in a fight with Yasha (big surprise!). Hojo-kun comes to visit and finally meets InuYasha but gets kicked out of the house. Kagome also finds out that Sango is expecting twins. Kagome, by this time, is near the end of the first trimester.

**AaA**

**Chapter 6: "My way or the highway"**

InuYasha made his way slowly down the stairs to the large living room in which his young brother-in-law awaited him with chips and cards, ready for another game of poker that he would probably win again. His white dog-ears swiveled hither and yon atop their perches taking in the sounds of the busy household. Down in the kitchen from the sounds of clanging pots and the tempting smells that wafted through hallway and up the stairs, Mae was already preparing supper. Out in the shrine's grounds, _Ojii-chan_ was sweeping away piles of leaves and petals while his old croaking voice sang out some long forgotten folk tune of ages passed. Down in the den Souta had lost his patience with the _hanyou _and had started the TV tuned into some anime show and now was laughing at the hilarious antics of the characters. In her room, Kagome stumbled around searching for an outfit and readying herself for one last shopping trip before they returned home to the feudal era. He could not work up the courage to tell her to stay behind in this era. He could not, but he knew he had to.

When Kouga had burst onto their compound demanding that Kagome be handed over to him, InuYasha had naturally fought for her and won. But Kouga's parting words had been far from kind or even of defeat. _That pup that she bears won't live long enough to breathe the air of this world!_ The words still echoed through his mind like a freshly hit gong. It had barely been three weeks since that time. In his fear, he had readily agreed when Kagome had asked to return to her childhood home. He believed she would be much safer in this time, far away from Kouga and his curse, where doctors could keep a baby safe with machines or medicines. Miracles of such a sort were common in this day and age; Kagome was always going on about it when she came back. Yet, if she chose to stay in the feudal era with her friends, there was no possible way that the baby would survive the curse. _I can't let that happen! I have to protect my family!_

"There you are!" A young voice called the _hanyou_ out of his troubled thoughts. Souta stood hanging from the frame of the door, leaning out to see who had just walked down the stairs.

"What took you so long? I've already watched a full episode of Ranma!" Souta ran out into the hall, grabbed InuYasha's hand, and pulled him into the living room to the table on which their game was set up.

His thoughts would not stay focused on the young boy or his instructions of how to play this modern card game. Without fail they continued to flutter back to Kagome and the pup that she carried in her womb then to the curse that had been laid upon them. What was he to do? There was no way that he knew of that a demon curse could be lifted. All he could do was leave Kagome behind in the modern era where perhaps she would have a chance at bringing a living child into the world.

"InuYasha! You're not paying attention!" Souta shouted from across the table. He shoved a few blue chips into the centre of the table.

"Keh." InuYasha huffed and looked down at his hand. Not very good.

"How much ya wanna bet?" Souta smirked seeing the look on his brother-in-law's chiseled face.

InuYasha pushed a few chips in the pile, all of which he could not remember the value of, and leaned back in the chair, one clawed hand tapping anxiously on the hard wood table top.

"I'll see your bet and raise ya… um… six red ones!" Souta proclaimed proudly, every bit as confident about his hand as he looked.

InuYasha stared confusedly at the chips and shoved in the same amount as Souta. "I ain't gonna raise ya, kid."

"That's fine. I'm happy." Souta laid down his hand face up. A flush. "Your turn." He smirked cheekily.

InuYasha's ears drooped. He slowly laid his hand in defeat. A mess of numbers with no apparent rhyme or reason. He had lost again. Souta squealed with delight, scooped up the chips, and then started to stack them in their proper piles, counting them as he went. This was his lucky day, but then it always was when he played InuYasha. Just then, Kagome walked quietly into the den bearing her signature yellow backpack and a small purse.

"InuYasha, I'm gonna go out and do a little last minute shopping. You wanna come or are you and Souta busy with your game?"

"Oh, Kagome, can I come too? I wanna see if they have the new Playstation game I've been saving up for!" Souta sprang up from his seat and rushed to his big sister, putting his best begging face on.

"I guess so. Go ask momma first though." Kagome shrugged.

"I don't see why you still ask me if I'd rather stay behind." InuYasha growled as Souta ran out of the room.

"I'm giving you the option. I know how much you hate to go into town." Kagome said as she walked up to his seat and leaned her hip against his shoulder. She could feel the heat rising in his ears as he draped an arm around her waist.

"I may not like it but I go cause I gotta keep an eye on ya. You humans can be so troublesome." InuYasha huffed.

"You don't have to go." Kagome said coyly as she rubbed a single gentle finger across the white fur of his ear.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, woman, I ain't stayin' here!" InuYasha stammered as he batted her hand away from his ear and stood indignantly in front of her.

"Whatever you say." Kagome smirked.

Just then Souta came running into the room, his little black wallet waving happily over his head. He looked as though he was about to hand the wallet over to Kagome for her to carry in her purse but then shoved it into his own pocket. Kagome raised a skeptical eyebrow and offered him her hand.

"Are you sure you can carry that? Do you want me to put it in my purse so you don't lose it?"

"Heck no! I just turned twelve, I'm old enough to carry my own money!" Souta replied indignantly as he puffed out his chest proudly.

InuYasha chuckled at the exchange as Kagome simply shrugged her shoulders and headed for the door. The two boys followed after her and would have exited the door without trouble had Kagome not stopped dead in her tracks and turned on the _hanyou_ with a panicked look.

"What the_** (bleep!)**_ did you stop for, wench!" InuYasha asked as he righted his balance from the quick stop.

"You can't go out like that! You need to get a cap!" Kagome called back as she sprinted back into the house and grabbed a ball cap to cover two downy white dog-ears. "We're going now, momma! Should be back in an hour or so!"

"Great." InuYasha's shoulders slumped when he saw the ball cap Kagome carried in her hand. He hated that hat with a violent passion.

Kagome shoved the hat onto InuYasha's head bill forward and placed her hands on her hips happily, thoroughly pleased with the look. Souta giggled at her side at the look on InuYasha's face.

"No, Kagome, don't put it on him like that!" Souta said as he reached up on his tiptoes and grabbed the hat off the taller man's head again. He flipped it around, bill backwards, and placed it back on InuYasha's silvery head. The two Higurashi offspring fell into peels of laughter, drawing red cheeks from the man in front of them.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, you two! Let's go!" InuYasha snarled as he stomped off towards the stairs that led down to the city proper.

Kagome and Souta wiped the tears from their chocolate brown eyes and followed the disgruntled _hanyou_, having thoroughly enjoyed their laugh at his expense.

**AaA**

InuYasha was the perfect picture of boredom. He sat on one of the display cases his head propped up by one fist, his eyelids drooping towards his cheeks. Occasionally, his ears would flick towards his wife's general direction when her delighted laughter would sweep over him. He was bored out of his senses, almost literally, but she was having the time of her life, so he contented himself with sitting there. When they had reached the market area of Tokyo, they had met up with some of Kagome's high school friends and had she had insisted that they go shopping together to get back in touch. This left Souta and the poor _hanyou_ with nothing to do while the girls shopped in the clothing district of Tokyo _**(IB:**__ It's funny but there are really areas where you get certain things like that, like a medicine street, a fresh fruits street, etc. Weird, eh?)_. Souta had had enough of it over an hour before and had caught a taxi back to their home, leaving InuYasha to suffer by himself.

"Ayame! Check this!" Kagome called the shorthaired girl as she stepped out of the tiny changing room bedecked in a beautiful embroidered red cocktail dress. She twirled dreamily, sending the silky material in a shiny whirl around her legs.

"Oh my gosh, Kagome! You so make that dress! You should so get it!" Ayame gasped.

"I totally agree with Ayame! Splurge just this once!" Yuna, the eldest of the group, concurred.

"I dunno. It's kinda expensive." Kagome said as she looked down at the dress. The embroidered empire waist and flowy skirt flattered her figure perfectly. "Let me ask InuYasha."

Kagome had barely gotten over to InuYasha's post before his eyes locked on her trim form. She saw him swallow loudly and smiled, she had a feeling he was going to say she could buy it. But just for good measure, when she reached him she crouched down at his knees and looked up at him happily, letting him see just how tight the top part of the dress was.

"Well, should I get it?" She asked innocently.

He gulped and nodded stupidly, his eyes unable to focus on her face but rather traveling down towards the _very _low neckline of the dress. Kagome did the anime sweat drop, got up, and returned to where her friends were still trying on dresses and shoes and jewelry. When they looked up at her she twirled dramatically, flashed a charming smile and the Japanese trademark peace sign at them.

"He said you could get it?" Yuri asked, though she had pretty much guessed the answer. _**(IB:**__ If anyone knows what her friends' names are, would you mind telling me? I can't seem to remember what they were.)_

"I got him wrapped around my finger!" Kagome proclaimed as she held up her pinky. All four girls giggled like school children.

"Oh, Kagome. What ever happened to you and Hojo-kun? You know he had the hots for you for the longest time, even though you were dating that other possessive guy." Yuna asked as she pulled off a pair of heels and plopped down into a cushy chair. InuYasha's ears perked up at the sound of his rival's name.

"Oh, he stopped by the other day. He seemed okay with the fact that I was married, even though InuYasha did kinda run him out of the house." Kagome called from the dressing room.

"Hahaha! Sounds just like that other guy you were dating all through ninth grade!" Ayame giggled.

"If only you knew…" Kagome sighed beneath her breath as she pulled on her jeans and walked out of the dressing room.

"Kagome, we need to go." InuYasha had gotten up from his post and walked over to the group of giggling girls. He did not like these friends of her's too much, they reminded him too much of a bunch of clucking hens or chattering monkeys.

"Alright," Kagome sighed. "Let me buy this dress and we'll leave. You can wait for me outside; it'll only take a minute or two." She waved the young man out of the store and turned to the trio.

"It's been great seeing you again. You have to come back soon!" Yuri said.

"Yeah, but don't forget to write like you did last time!" Ayame poked an accusatory finger into Kagome's chest.

"I won't! Sheesh. Okay, give me a hug. I need to go." Kagome pulled all three girls in and hugged them tightly.

"We'll miss you! Wear that dress on the third of next month, then we can all be wearing them together." Yuna chuckled as she held up her own black dress.

The girls purchased their outfits, said their last goodbyes, and went their separate ways. Kagome found her tired husband standing on the street outside the store leaning heavily against the glass his arms folded across his chest loosely; he had nowhere to tuck them now that he was wearing just a wife beater. She nodded to him and the two of them headed off down the street to finish the shopping they had begun over two hours before.

They stopped in a little street side supermarket and Kagome made it straight way to the maternity section. After browsing through for a few minutes she grabbed a couple bottles of lotion and pills and turned to continue down the aisle. She called to InuYasha over her shoulder.

"I know Sango will love this lotion! I'm sure they don't have anti-stretch crème in the feudal era."

"Anti-stretch?" InuYasha mumbled. What was that? _Must be some sort of pregnancy ailment… not that I'm worried about that._

"I just hope she hasn't started stretching already! I need to get back soon." Kagome stated as she picked another bottle off the shelf and read the label.

"Kagome," InuYasha took a deep breath and plunged into what he knew would become a big argument. "I think it would be a better idea if you stayed here with your mom and modern doctors. The feudal era is no place for our pup to be born."

Kagome turned around and looked at InuYasha as though he had just driven a stake through her heart. "We discussed this already! I'm staying with Sango so we can help each other out with the babies; they're only a month or two apart!" Kagome retorted.

"Three." InuYasha corrected.

"Whatever! I'm staying with Sango! I will not stay here in this era!" Kagome almost shouted, drawing the eyes of several other shoppers.

"I don't give a _**(bleep!)**_ about that, Kagome! I'm more worried about our pup and you! I want you two to make it through this alive! You know it's safer here." InuYasha said with equal intensity.

Kagome clenched her fists at her sides and glared fiercely into her husband's golden eyes. "You can't make me stay here!"

"Watch me!" InuYasha lunged forward, intent on grabbing Kagome. What he would do with her after he grabbed her, he had no idea, but it seemed like a good thing to do anyway.

"_Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari!_"

The rosary beads around his neck glowed brightly and pulled down sharply. InuYasha took a painful nosedive into the tile floor and ended up making a pretty deep hole. While he struggled to get up and cursed into the tile dust Kagome picked up her basket and the few things she had picked out and stomped off towards the register. She dumped the contents onto the conveyer belt and crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. The teenage boy working the counter kept his eyes down on the barcodes and did his best to get the hotheaded woman and man out of the store as fast as he could.

"One hundred-fifty-six yen." He looked up at Kagome expectantly. The said girl fished out the proper change and slapped it down into the cashier's open hand, grabbed the plastic bag, and stormed out of the store.

Just when the streetlight blinked for pedestrian crossing InuYasha came sputtering out of the shop and raced to catch up with Kagome, who was already halfway down across the walk.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, Kagome! I'm not gonna have you or our daughter dieing in my era when you both would be safer here where doctors can watch you!" InuYasha growled as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth.

The mention of the fact that she was having a daughter did not even reach Kagome, she was far too mad. "InuYasha, it's my way or the highway!" Kagome growled back.

"What the _**(bleep!)**_ is that supposed to mean!? I'm the husband in this relationship!" He fumed.

"I'm not gonna stay here when my best friend is having her baby so close to me! I'm gonna stay with her and you can't keep me from that!" Kagome retorted as she continued walking down the street to the food store.

InuYasha was running out of ideas. He had played just about every card in his hand but one. That card he had left he had no intentions of playing anytime soon because he knew it would only worry Kagome more. He knew that she would do just what she said she would and there would be no stopping her. He had been through that same thing many times before in the passed three years.

"Why is it such a big deal for me too stay? Kaede is perfectly capable to deliver a baby, even a_ youkai_ baby! And she's a healer and _miko_, if something was to go wrong, she would be able to stop it." Kagome reasoned, her voice starting to even out again.

"Kaede is an old woman that doesn't know anything about delivering _youkai_ pups… you need a good doctor with modern tools and machines to keep mother and child safe." InuYasha growled.

"InuYasha, I'll just fine back in the feudal era! And if something _does_ goes wrong, I'm sure you could just carry me back to the modern era and take me to the hospital."

"Kagome, I don't want to lose you or the pup knowing that you would have been safer here in your own time. I've lost too much in my life to live with losing you too. Please do me the favour of staying here, for my sake." InuYasha sighed. He was tired of fighting.

"And I'm begging you, please do not make me stay here when my best friend is having her first baby." Kagome stopped in front of InuYasha and looked up into his eyes, searching for a little bit of hope.

InuYasha looked down into his wife's young face and felt his heart start to pound against his ribcage like a drum. The thought of losing her or the child growing inside her was frightening. This was something he had never felt before. He wanted desperately to assert his male dominance and keep Kagome where she had been born, where their child would have a sliver of a chance. But then, it was only a sliver. He knew she wanted more than anything to stay with Sango, to see the first offspring of their small group that had become closer than family. Taking that from her might shatter her and Sango. But letting her stay might mean their pup's life.

"Don't you care about our pup? Does it not concern you that it might not be strong enough to live through the birth?" He asked bitterly. He wished he could have taken it back as soon as he said it though; Kagome looked as though he had asked her to go and jump off a skyscraper.

"InuYasha, this is _our_ pup, and we're both strong. I believe it'll see the light of this world!" Kagome felt hot tears springing up around her eyes.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, Kagome, don't cry! You can stay in the feudal era, but you're gonna come back to the modern era a week before! Are you happy now?" InuYasha huffed, trying desperately to look tough.

"Oh, thank you, InuYasha, thank you!" Kagome wrapped her arms tightly around the _hanyou's_ lean waist and buried her face in his chest. He felt his tough mask slip and gently hugged the young woman back.

"You're welcome." He whispered back. The sounds of the city around them, all the people walking by, the cars rushing passed, all of this faded into silence as the couple stood there wrapped in each other's arms contentedly.

**AaA**

"Kagome, did you grab the ramen? Can't forget that stuff!" InuYasha called up the stairs to his mate.

"Yes dear, I did. I'll be down in a minute." Kagome called back down.

Finally the young family was heading back to their home in the feudal era after a week's reprieve. Kagome would be back again a week before her due date, per demand of her doting husband, but she insisted on being there with Sango and her time of need for female companionship. Kagome put the finishing touches in her yellow pack and went through her list of needful items one last time.

"Crème, pills, baby clothes, blankets… What am I missing?" Kagome scratched her head and looked around the room.

"I don't know, but I'm still missing my mate." InuYasha replied from the doorway, one hip leaning comfortably against the frame. "Come on Kagome, we need to go soon. Say your goodbyes and let's ditch."

"Alright. I'm coming." Kagome pushed the heavy pack towards InuYasha and went to her closet.

"What're you doing now?" He asked as he picked up the yellow bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"I need to change my clothes. Time to put my _kimono_ back on." Kagome pulled a woven box off the top shelf in her closet and began to undress. "You can go on downstairs, I'll be there in a minute."

"Keh." InuYasha scoffed but turned and headed down the hallway anyway.

Kagome lifted the woven lid off the box and folded back the tissue paper to reveal a gorgeous green silk _kimono_. Gently she lifted the material out of the box with her fingertips and held it up to the light. A delicate river of blue silk wound around the left sleeve to the middle of the gown where it flared and dipped into a wide ocean of blue-green filled with orange and black _koi._ The _obi _and cord of the outfit offset with a rough crimson red and hunter green. This _kimono_ had been given to Kagome years before on her thirteenth birthday, a truly regal and expensive gift. Slowly she lifted each piece out of the box and pulled on the creamy white under robe then shrugged into the silk material. With practiced efficiency she tied her _obi_ and cords and then made her way down to the kitchen where she knew everyone waited.

"Oh, Kagome! You look so beautiful! That _kimono_ looks amazing on you!" Mae squealed as Kagome swished into the room. "Robes fit for any regal lady!" She pulled her eldest child into tight hug and batted away the tears when the two pushed away.

"Take this mummified _kitsune_ tail for the baby. Can't be too careful." _Ojii-chan_ handed a wrapped box to a sweat dropped Kagome and smiled proudly.

"Er… thanks, gramps. Really… Ahem! Okay, _mina_, we need to go now. I'll see you all in a few months!"

With that, InuYasha and Kagome made their way through the yard and to the well house. Once they had pushed aside the heavy door, the young woman turned and waved one final goodbye and disappeared into the dark depths. InuYasha crouched on the lip of the well and offered one hand to Kagome. She took hold and the _hanyou_ pulled her up and then down into the well. Streams of light and stars flew passed them in a blur and the feel of magic swept through their entire being. Yet before the feelings could completely register, there they were, at the bottom of the well again. Their eyes traveled upward to the sunset lit skies of the feudal era.

"Come on. Not too much further." InuYasha looked down into Kagome's face as he wrapped a supporting arm about her. She nodded and they sprang up and out of the well in one single bound and landed not far away.

"_Okaasan!_" A young voice squealed off to the right of the couple.

"Shippou! Did you miss me?" Kagome opened her arms wide to catch the flying ball of fluff. The young _kitsune_ boy nuzzled into his surrogate mother's chest and took a deep pull on her scent.

"We were wondering when that half-breed would bring you back to us!" Shippou pulled back and glared over Kagome's shoulder to a smoldering _inu hanyou_. "Sango is starting to feel the babies moving, at least she says so! Sometimes I can feel them too!" He bubbled as he turned his attention back to Kagome.

"Oh! That's wonderful! Take me to her." Kagome commanded happily.

The exuberant little boy leapt out of Kagome's thin arms and hit the ground running. It was all Kagome could do to keep up with him. Soon the small palace that InuYasha had lovingly built came into view, its polished walls and parchment screens glowing a bright gold in the setting sun. On the east corner of the grounds the moon had set its bark into the darkening sky, ready to take on the night with silvery splendour. Presently Shippou bound onto the walkway that connected each room and came to screeching stop in front of the common room screens.

"Shhh! She's in there with Miroku! She doesn't know you're here yet." Shippou whispered.

Kagome pulled off her sandals and stepped silently onto the wooden walkway. She put a finger to her lips and motioned for Shippou to open the door and walk in. He giggled into his hands for a few seconds and then grabbed the doorframe with both hands and heaved it aside; the wood was very heavy for his still small body to push aside as InuYasha or Miroku did. Sango looked up from her dainty cup of tea and smiled when Shippou walked in.

"Where'd you go to all of a sudden?" Miroku asked as he moved his priestly staff from one shoulder to the next setting the little golden rings on the head to jingling wildly.

"I thought I heard something." Shippou lied glibly.

"You really should have shut the door. We don't want the bugs coming in." Sango admonished the little _kitsune._ Because she was the closest to the door she eased herself up as slowly as she could, her belly grown quite round with child, and walked over to the door.

"That won't be necessary." Kagome said as she made her presence outside known by walking into the open room.

"Oh, Kagome! You're back!" Sango squealed delightedly and rushed forward.

Kagome met her halfway and wrapped her arms around Sango's shoulders. Just as she started to pull away, InuYasha walked in and dropped the heavy bag loudly on the _tatami_ mat covered floor. Miroku pulled himself up off the floor and greeted InuYasha with a hearty handshake; they were too manly to hug. The two men then sat down at the low table and InuYasha poured himself a cup of tea from the steaming pot.

"We were wondering when you guys would return from Kagome's era. You've been gone for such a long time." Miroku said over his own cup of green tea.

"Keh."

"Sorry about that. We had some doctor's appointments to attend to." Kagome said as she and Sango followed their husband's example and sat down at the table.

Just as Sango had managed to get down on her heels, "Darn it! I forgot to close the door."

"Don't worry about it, Sango. I'll get it." Kagome waved Sango back down and got up.

"Thanks Kagome-chan. It's getting harder to do simple things these days." Sango laughed quietly to herself. "It's odd, but I feel like I should be a bit smaller than this! You couldn't tell mother was pregnant until two months before Kohaku was born!" She wondered. Her cheerful visage slowly shifted though, when she thought back on the days when her brother had been alive.

Kagome bit her bottom lip hard trying to hide the smile that pulled insistently on the corners of her mouth, despite Sango's downcast look. She looked over to her husband, as if asking if she could break the news. He caught her gaze and shook his head solemnly, to which she nodded dejectedly, knelt next to the door and slid it shut, then rose again to sit down at Sango's side. The secret ached to be told, her tongue ready to spit out the happy news to Sango that she was not expecting just one bundle of joy, but rather two! And yet prudence and respect for her mate kept her mouth in check.

Outside, the night was fast approaching, the darkness sucking in the light and leaving nothing in its wake. The household servants went about their nighttime duties of lighting the braziers and oil lamps to fight away the impending cold and dark. As the two couples and young _kitsune_ began squinting in order to see each other better in the waning light, a young servant girl slid the door open and rose to light the lamps and brazier in the room. Though it was the middle of the summer months in feudal Japan, it still got very cold once the sun went down, when the winds from the nearby coast began to blow in.

"Thank you, Sakura. You may go home once you've lit the rest of the lamps. Do tell the rest of the servants they may leave as well." Kagome told the girl.

"_Hai,_ Kagome-sama. _Arigotou gozai-masu._" Sakura bowed politely and exited the room after closing the screen door.

"Anyway, back to the matters at hand." Miroku coughed into his hand for attention before continuing. "Sango was… well, actually… we _both_ were wondering if perhaps we could stay here until after the baby is born. Sango wants to be here with you, Kagome-sama, and I quite enjoy being around InuYasha like old times, someone to talk man with. Would that be alright?"

"Keh! _Baka_!" InuYasha huffed as he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "You guys are always welcome to stay here! Do ya think we'd boot ya out into the cold or something? Don't be stupid."

"InuYasha's right! We could never ask you guys to leave! Especially when Sango is expecting a baby!" Kagome put a comforting hand on Sango's knee.

"Thank you, InuYasha, Kagome-chan! I didn't think you would mind, but better safe than sorry, they always say." Sango smiled happily before a wide yawn stole across her mouth.

Over in the corner of the room, Shippou had already fallen into a deep sleep, too bored with the adult conversations to stay awake. The group shared a quiet chuckle when the boy whimpered and started pawing at the pillow and the air as a dreaming dog might.

"I gotta say the runt's got the right idea. I think it's high time we all hit the sack." InuYasha rose from his seat on the floor and offered a hand to his wife, which she gratefully took.

"I agree. Come, Sango dear." Miroku concurred as he too offered a helping hand to his very pregnant wife.

"Oh, Sango, before you go, I have some things to give to you. I bought them in my time, they're good for the baby." Kagome called to Sango as she began to dig through her pack, which had been abandoned by the door hours before.

"You really didn't have to do anything, Kagome." Sango replied quietly though she peaked curiously over the young woman's shoulder.

"No, think of it as my treat! Now where did I put that…? Ah hah! Gotcha!" Kagome held a plastic shopping bag proudly out to Sango. "You can open it whenever, but I'm sure I'll need to explain some of the things to you." Kagome informed the demon slayer.

"I think I'd like to open it now." Sango said, slowly easing herself back down to the floor.

"InuYasha now is the time that you and I leave. This is no place for a man." Miroku took up his staff, setting the golden rings jangling loudly. He and said _hanyou_ walked out of the room and to their respective bedrooms after bidding a last goodnight.

Meanwhile, Sango excitedly pulled out bottle after bottle out of the plastic bag. Some of the labels she read and understood completely, other labels she looked confusedly at Kagome.

"This one is anti-stretch crème. It keeps your skin soft and supple so that you don't get as bad of stretch marks. You just have to remember to message it into your entire body everyday after you wash." Kagome said as she held up one of the three fat tubes. "This one," she held up a large rattling bottle, "is a bottle of daily pills to keep mother and baby healthy and safe during pregnancy. And this one is pain killer for delivery time. I made sure I checked the label, so it's safe to use. It's made specifically for women that choose to deliver their babies at home instead of at a hospital." Kagome gathered up all the bottles and tubes and put them back in the bag.

"Thanks, Kagome. I'm sure these will all come in handy." Sango pulled Kagome into a tight hug and then rose to follow her husband to the bedroom. "I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well. And Kagome…?" Sango leaned around the door. "It's good to have you guys back." With that, she was gone, padding quietly down the walkway to her room.

Kagome smiled to herself and then scooped up the sleeping _kitsune_ boy into her arms, carried him to the nursery, and tucked him into his tiny green futon bedecked with dragonflies. She smiled warmly at his peaceful face and bent to kiss his smooth cheek. In mere months, she knew she would be doing the exact same thing with her own child. Chills flew down her spine as she rose from Shippou's bedside and walked out of the room. She could not wait for the moment when she would see the miracle that she and InuYasha had created all those months before. But all of that fled her as a yawn ripped through her mouth. Wearily she trudged off to the master bedroom and her feather-filled futon, which was calling her name most persuasively.

"Jeez, what took?" InuYasha huffed from his place on their shared futon when Kagome finally slid their door closed.

"I had to tuck Shippou in." She replied as she began to untie the three _obi_ ties that held her silk _kimono _in place.

"Keh. Just hurry up and get in bed." InuYasha flipped over in bed having already taken off his own _haori_ and _hakama_, and settled down to sleep.

Kagome folded the light material and placed it into its woven box then pulled some nightclothes from her dresser and wiggled into their cotton softness. She gently pulled back the comforter and sidled up behind her husband, sharing his warmth, and draped an arm over his waist. Very quickly the two fell into a grateful respite, not to wake until the sun had drifted through the thin curtains.

**AaA**

"Wake up, Kagome." A deep voice called the eighteen-year-old woman into the world of the living.

"What time is it?" She asked groggily as she sat up.

"It's one in the afternoon." The voice replied.

Kagome's eyes shot open and looked towards the voice. There was no one in the room. InuYasha's side of the bed was empty and cold, the shadows in the room indicative of a high hour. When she scrambled to get up off the low bed, she found her stomach swollen with pregnancy. Gently she rubbed her belly and smiled. Her child would live, she just knew it. It had to. She laboured to rise from the bed and pulled on her morning robe, tying the sash as tightly as her belly would allow her to. The pup inside her kicked violently against her bladder, reminding her that she had slept the whole night, morning, and now some of the afternoon without using the bathroom. She slid aside the door and padded down the walkway towards the toilet room. Close to the tearoom, someone called to her.

"Kagome, are you up?"

"Yes, why didn't you wake me earlier, InuYasha?" She called back.

InuYasha immerged from the room and smiled down at his approaching wife. A balmy breeze rushed through the courtyard and picked his long silvery hair up into a whirl, tossing it about his face. Kagome could see the sun glint off one of his fangs. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine. Something did not seem right. Suddenly the balmy breeze changed directions and became steadily colder. When she finally reached her mate, gentle white flakes started to fall, covering the ground in a soft white blanket. InuYasha cocked his head at the quizzical expression on Kagome's face, his ears twittered too and fro atop his head.

"What's the matter?" He asked as he dropped his clawed hands down onto her thin shoulders.

"I don't know. Something isn't right." She replied, racking her brain for the reason for her unease.

"I can help you know what's wrong." InuYasha's voice changed, growing deeper, darker.

Kagome lifted her eyes from his bright red chest to his face. It was not InuYasha anymore, it was Kouga, and he was smiling evilly! His garments and hair changed too. Kagome opened her mouth to scream but found that nothing would come; she could not make a sound. _InuYasha! Help me!_ Her mind screamed wildly. The pup in her sensed her terror and did leaps and cartwheels. When she tried to pull away, sharp claws dug into her tender shoulders, drawing warm trickles of blood. He smirked.

"You should have come to me, instead of that worthless half breed." He chuckled. Kagome shook her head in terror.

"Nevertheless, I will rid you of that filth you carry within you." One clawed hand moved from her shoulder to her swollen belly within the blink of an eye and then plunged deep into her.

Kagome tried to scream again but could not. Tears flooded her eyes, blurring everything around her. Somewhere in the distance, she could not tell how far away, she could hear a baby crying, a tray of precious china shattering on a wooden floor, and someone crying out for help. She could feel fluid running down between her thighs and pooling around her socked feet, staining her white socks bright red. Slowly, Kouga pulled his hand out of the young woman and smirked as he stepped back. When he heard people calling for Kagome, he took a flying leap and cleared the house and fence, gone from sight. In his wake he left a confused woman, now hold her belly in terror, watching as her blood pooled around her like a ruptured old wineskin.

She looked up to see her friends and InuYasha running towards her with all haste. When she looked back down at her wound, she found that she was holding a tiny body. Her tears flowed all the faster and harder when she saw two little ears atop its head like its father's. She held the bloody body close to her chest and looked up to her husband who was now kneeling before her. She mouthed the words 'I'm so sorry' and felt her body falling. All she could see was white and red. She had fallen on something soft and cold, but the red she knew had to be blood for it was warm and spread over the white quickly. She could hear crying, screaming, crunching, above all she could hear the wind howling over her ears, blowing her raven hair around her face. She wanted to cry out but could not. She could no nothing, could not move a muscle, could not speak, and could not respond to what was going on around her.

And then everything was black. No sound, no feeling. Complete darkness.

**End of Chapter**

**AaA**

**Translator:**

_**Miko:**_ Shinto shrine maidens of Japan beginning in the Feudal era of Japan.

_**Kimono:**_ Traditional Japanese dress, formally worn by women. Consists of many layers of robes.

_**Koi:**_ Decorative giant goldfish.

_**Obi:**_ One of the belts that holds the kimono in place.

_**Mina:**_ Everyone

_**Okaasan:**_ Mother

_**Hai:**_ Yes, okay

_**Arigotou gozai-masu:**_ Thank you (polite)

_**Baka:**_ Fool, stupid

_**Hakama:**_ Traditional wide legged pants worn with a haori, formally worn by men. Normally have seven creases to signify the seven laws of the samurai.

**AaA**

**To the reviewers: ShadowDragon (ShadowMika):** Guess not! Thanks for being the first to review! MWAH! **T G Athena: **Thanks for the encouragement. After only three people review, you begin to lose hope that it'll be any good. **Christine819:** Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter too. Keep on reading and reviewing!

**AaA**

**Last notes: **Well, I hope I get a few more reviews with a cliffy like that one! Also, I hope you guys liked that chapter, I worked a long time trying to get it right. Do tell me what you think about it by reviewing…. Please? _**(bats eyelashes)**_ You know you wanna, just press that little review button on the left side of the page… Come on!


	7. Fabric Shopping and Twins Born

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, not mine… Only the story.

**Author's Notes: **YAY!! I finally have some direction for the story! Came to me the night I uploaded the last chapter, so now I know exactly what the next chapters hold and such. Yay for me. I plan on working solely on this story, getting it finished so I don't lose my train of thought. I'll start POTH and "How Could I…" when I finish this one. I don't wanna risk the fact that I know what I'm doing now. Just might lose it again. Oh, there's one scene near the middle that may lag, concerning shopping. I liked it, but if you don't, just let me know, and I won't put that kinda stuff next time. Anyway, enjoy it!

**AaA**

**Last chapter: **Kagome and InuYasha have a fight in town about whether Kagome will return to the feudal era or stay behind to have the baby. InuYasha allows Kagome to return his era, on the condition that she returns a week before her due date to have the baby in safety. They return to the feudal era. Kagome wakes into a living nightmare and then falls into darkness…

* * *

**Chapter 7: Fabric Shopping and Twins Born**

Kagome woke sitting bolt upright, tears pouring over her flushed cheeks, a cold sweat covering her body that made her pajamas stick to her like glue. Her breath came in ragged gasps; her hands were clamped tightly on her growing stomach. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt clawed hands fall gently onto her trembling shoulders. She turned to see her mate staring with heavy concern into her frightened eyes. She fell into his arms and let the floodgates burst.

"Kagome, what's the matter? What happened?" InuYasha whispered into her ear as the sobbing subsided.

"InuYasha, it was terrible! I lost the baby! Kouga killed the baby and me. InuYasha, I was so scared." Kagome's sobs renewed their fervour as she buried her face in his toned chest.

InuYasha felt his heart stop. It was already beginning. She was having nightmares about the curse though she had no knowledge of it. He had made a promise to her to let her stay in the feudal era though. He felt his heart torn in two, but he could do nothing.

"Shhh. It was only a dream. You'll be ok. I'm here." He did his best to sooth his young wife, hoping that perhaps it would sooth him too.

"It was terrible!" She muttered over and over again.

"Kagome, lay back down and get some rest. I'm right here. I won't leave you alone. Just lay back down." InuYasha pulled Kagome back down into the covers and kept his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, offering whatever comfort he could.

Within ten minutes of lying down, he could hear her erratic breathing level out into a calm sleeping pace. That's when his mind started turning. He had to do something. He didn't know what he could do, but he racked his brain for something that would keep Kagome and their pup safe and happy. No matter what it took, what it cost, he would find something. He nuzzled his nose into her soft hair and breathed in her sweet scent. He would not lose her. Not like this.

**AaA**

"Kagome, you look exhausted." Sango put a hand on Kagome's wet shoulder. "Did you not sleep well?"

Kagome shifted to lean her back against the side of the heated bath pool. The sound of the water cascading over the rocks and into the pool the two women now sat in thundered to her right. She rubbed a hand over her tired eyes where she knew bags were forming. She had slept well after the nightmare but had woken as though she had only slept for an hour or two. Luckily, she had had InuYasha there to comfort her when she had woken again.

"I'm fine, just didn't get as much sleep as I needed. Give me a day or two and I'll be back on track." Kagome chirped happily.

"Alright. If you say so." Sango grabbed a bar of soap and a sponge and hopped out of the pool to lather herself up. She wasn't the least bit convinced but she had learned not to get into Kagome's business.

The said girl followed shortly after and grabbed another sponge and bar of soap. The two lathered up for several minutes in complete silence, save for the falls on the other side of the room. Each woman shampooed and conditioned her hair and rinsed using the buckets provided and the water from the pool. Once she had rinsed herself completely, Sango sat and stared blankly at the soapy water that still flowed off of Kagome and trailed down to the dirty water drain, water that was used to keep the gardens green.

"Um…" Kagome called Sango to attention. "So, have you and Miroku thought of names or anything like that?" She asked, trying to make some conversation.

"Yeah, sort of. He suggested that if it was a boy, we name him Kohaku. Not sure I can do that though. It's hard enough just thinking about him, it would be torture to see him running around me like old times."

"I understand." Kagome nodded then rose to get back into the pool. "Any other names. What if it's a girl?"

"Well… If it's a girl, we had planned on Aiko or Sachi… maybe Yasu. I'm not sure. If it's a boy, I suggested we either name him Taro or Kiyoshi. They just seem like the right kind of names." Sango replied as she too slipped her now large body into the warm waters.

"They all have good meanings. Very appropriate, I think." Kagome agreed.

"Have you and InuYasha thought about names yet?" Sango netted her fingers together and placed them behind her head.

"Um… no. We hadn't even mentioned names before. I have thought about it though."

"Really? What was your idea?"

"Well, I haven't thought of boy's names, but I think I like the sound of Nozomi." Kagome said as she smiled to herself.

"Hope." Sango observed. "That sounds like a good name. It fits the situation." She finished thoughtfully.

Just then, they heard the sound of fast pattering feet and the bathhouse door sliding open and shut. Again the patter of tiny feet, or paws, to be precise. Shippou came running into the large, all clothes discarded in the first changing room. He took a flying leap at the edge of the pool and dove in, creating quite a splash. He came back up between the two women with a wide smile.

"You know your days of taking baths with us are drawing near an end?" Kagome smirked as she grabbed the little boy and held him up to her face.

"Yep. That's why I figured I'd join you this time." He answered as he rubbed his nose against Kagome's.

"You're as bad as Miroku." Sango chuckled off to the side. The three fell into joyful laughter.

The three spent another hour in the bathhouse, the two women enjoying the carefree antics of the _kitsune_. They helped to lather him up and then rinse him though he was perfectly able of doing it himself. He was, of course, enjoying himself immensely. He hadn't had this kind of loving attention in a long time. Not that Kagome and InuYasha neglected him, far from that, he just enjoyed having both women there to bath with, to remind him of the older times. He was disappointed when they both got out and grabbed towels, but he followed suit shortly after them.

"You're getting bigger." Kagome remarked as they dried off. "You used to not be able to get those towels for yourself."

Shippou smiled proudly, "I'm three foot on the dot now! I measured this morning."

"Wow! Very nice! You've grown six inches since InuYasha and Kagome were married." Sango cooed happily.

"And one and a half feet since I first came through the well!" Kagome added.

The young boy stood up straight and tall, puffing out his little chest in satisfaction.

"You're growing like a little weed! How will I ever be able to keep clothes on you?" Kagome gasped in mock wonderment. "You've already almost outgrown that outfit we found you in."

"I'm sure you and I can spend our pregnant days sewing new clothes for him as well as the babies." Sango giggled.

"Yay! New clothes!" Shippou squealed as he hopped to and fro pulling on his old garments. They _were_ getting a little threadbare and short for his growing limbs.

"Hey, Kagome, why don't we go material shopping this afternoon?" Sango asked. "It'd be nice to get out of the house and get some exercise to these poor legs. Besides, Kaede's village has grown so big since we settled down."

"They say it's cause it got famous because of our group's escapades! Everyone wants to live in the town were the killers of Naraku live." Shippou bubbled as he tied the sash on his deep blue _hakama_.

"Sure! Sounds great to me!"

**AaA**

"NO! Definitely not." InuYasha crossed his arm tightly over his chest and stared down at the huffing Kagome.

"InuYasha, we're just going down to the village to get some material. We'll be fine! The village people know us, and Kaede will be there. What's the deal?" Kagome rested her hands on her hips and glared up at her stubborn husband.

"Kagome, the dream? You're pregnant. Not going." He growled.

"My word, InuYasha, how many times have we been through this, you said so yourself! It was only a dream! If you're so _**(bleep!)**_ worried, why don't you just come with us?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Just send one of the servants to get the material."

"It's not that simple. We have to look at it before we buy it, have to feel it, weight it. And we have to approve of the patterns or colours." She muttered over her shoulder as she dug through the drawers for some spare money.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, you women make things so difficult!"

"So, is that a yes?" Kagome peered hopefully over her shoulder again.

InuYasha glared at her but said nothing. With a cry of joy, Kagome dropped her money pouch and threw her arms around the disgruntled _hanyou_. Once he extracted himself from her grasp, he grabbed the pouch, tossed it to her, and collapsed on the futon. He propped his chin up on one hand and watched as Kagome pulled on a common green _kimono_ and dull brown_ obi_. They were of the most common make, rough linen with no patterns or pictures. Kagome kept them for times when she went into the village, not wanting to act as though she were any better than the peasants. After pulling her hair up into a tight topknot, she leaned down and planted a chaste kiss onto InuYasha's angry lips.

"We'll be back in a few hours. Don't worry. We can take care of ourselves just fine." With that, she turned and left.

Kagome found Sango waited patiently at the front door dressed in her normal garb, pink and white striped _kimono_ and dark green wrap. She smiled at the visible bulge around Sango's midsection. While her own stomach was a little less obvious, they both looked like expecting women. Never once in the years of their shard hunting would Kagome have dreamed of being pregnant with InuYasha's pup and Sango right there along with her. Oh, how life plays its tricks on unsuspecting individuals.

Within a fifteen minute walk on shaded roads was the once small village that Kagome had stumbled on three years prior. While it was still tiny compared to modern standards, it had grown considerably in that time. Shops and inns popped up where once were only rice patties and wheat fields. What had once been simple shanties and lean-to shacks stood open vending stalls covered in foodstuffs, materials, glass works, anything the heart could desire. It was in these very stalls that Kagome and Sango began their digging.

"Kagome-sama!" One of the many vendors shouted out to the two. "Kagome-sama! I have just the thing you're looking for. Soft material perfect for growing children. Just come and have a look." He ushered them into his stall and pulled several bolts of cloth off of a high shelf.

"Kenshikaren, this is beautiful!" Kagome ran a hand over the supple cloth. "Sango, feel this. It feels like feathers." She ushered the other woman to her side.

"This would be perfect for Shippou-chan!" Sango awed at the cloth in her hands.

Kagome held up a length of the cloth to the light, testing its density. "It could get threadbare quickly with knees learning to crawl." She observed and looked skeptically at the old man.

"It looks that way, yes, but you would not believe how strong it is." To prove his point, he pulled a knife out of a box on the worktable and let the two test its sharpness. "Watch this!"

He had Kagome and Sango hold a length of the bolt between them tightly. He placed the blade of the knife at the top and pulled down strongly. Both of the girls gasped, thinking for sure this precious cloth would be ruined. But lo and behold! Not a single thread was out of place, not even a snag visible. For extra measure, he pulled a flint and torch out of a cabinet and lit it. His smile wide, he pressed the burning torch against the bottom of the material. Several smoky seconds later he pulled it away and there was no damage save for some traces of black soot, easily washed out. He smiled proudly at the two stunned buyers.

"Kenshikaren, where did you find such cloth?" Kagome gaped in awe at the substance in her hands.

"I but it from someone high in the mountains. All I know it that it's not a natural make. Something goes into the making process that I'm not familiar with. But…" He held up and finger and took hold of a bolt. He upended it and showed them a seal on the label.

"A spider." Kagome eyed the mark skeptically. She turned a doubtful gaze at Sango.

"Aye, it is a spider. But not just any spider. Look a little closer." He held it up closer to them, begging them to stare harder.

"It holding a spindle and thread." Sango observed.

"I believe that a spider _youkai_ spins the material then sells it to my supplier."

"Kenshikaren, these are children we're talking about. How do we know they will be safe?" Kagome leaned heavily on the table and pinned the old man to the back wall.

"Kagome-sama, I'm hurt that you would think so lowly of me!" Kagome raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I've been selling this very cloth for fifty years. Same seal and everything. Many times the patterns are even the same. In all that time, no one has ever come back to tell me I sold them bad merchandise. No one. My own wife used a whole bolt to make our daughter's wedding _kimono_ just last year. Nothing happened. No weird behavior or anything of that sort. Trust me, it's harmless." He assured them.

Kagome chewed her lip for a few minutes then looked at Sango for her verdict. "Alright. Good enough. How much per metre?"

The old man rubbed his hands together happily and named a sum.

"Too much." Sango bartered.

He named yet another sum, and Sango countered again. This went on for several minutes before both sides were satisfied with the deal.

"What colours and patterns are you looking for?"

"Soft, happy colours. And bigger, rounder patterns would be nice. Like that one there." Kagome pointed to a bolt high over her head.

Old creaking bones reached up and procured the said cloth and handed it over. Soft pink and maroon flowers and bright butterflies of the same colour floated across a pale yellow backdrop. All in all, a very young and carefree look. Coupled with a deep wine, Kagome figured it would make a lovely child's _kimono._ She smiled, seeing a tiny dog-eared child sitting on the floor with wooden blocks in hand gurgling happily, wearing the material she held in her hands. She pushed that bolt and another bolt of a heavier burgundy over to the man.

"Two metres of both of these."

As he measured and carefully cut the lengths prescribed, Sango searched through the mounds for something she liked as well. She found what she was looking for on a waist high shelf and pulled it out for examining. While not as wild and carefree as Kagome's choice, it was beautiful. Sedate orange maple leaves drifted over creamy white and collected in a thick pile along the hem. She smiled and grabbed a light brown to couple with it and placed it on the table. Now they had to search for Shippou's outfit.

"What do you think he would like?" Kagome stared at the walls of shelves filled with bolts of every colour and pattern imaginable.

"Something earthy, I think…" Sango rubbed her belly tenderly and considered the options. "How about a deep green with leaves or something and a plain brown or blue."

"Yeah. That sounds good. But let's make the under robes something a little brighter." Kagome pulled a bright green bolt out and showed it the demon slayer.

"Sure," Sango pointed to another bolt held on a stand in the middle of the room. "With that green one there. And that brown one up on the top shelf over there." She pointed to another one.

Kagome nodded and smiled. "Kenshikaren, we'll take three metres of each of those we pointed to. After that, I believe we'll be done."

Within fifteen minutes of locating the material, the girls left the stored laden with wrapped packages and smiles to their ears. Before they had gotten too far from the village though…

"Kagome-sama!" Kenshikaren came puffing up to them and stopped for a moment to catch his breath. When he had, he held up two leather pouches. "You will need these things to cut the cloth. Special enchantment makes them cut through like butter."

"We didn't pay for this though. And what will you use?" Sango asked.

He batted aside their questions and smiled. "I know where to get more. The price of the scissors and needles is included in the cost of the _kimono _fabric as a whole."

"_Arigato gozai-masu_." Kagome said as the two women bowed and continued on their way.

They walked for quite a while in relative silence, with only the summer birds and insects singing their afternoon songs. Occasionally a bubbling stream would add to the soothing cacophony of sounds. Several times on the walk, Kagome's sharp eyes would spot a grazing deer and fawn, a snooping fox with its brood, or timid hare followed by dozens of young wandering close to the dirt roads. Every creature was followed closely by its offspring. Nature's song had been played out to its fullest. Half way through the walk, Sango puffed tiredly and threw herself, as much as she could, onto the grassy bank of the road.

"Come Kagome, let's rest for a while." She patted a grassy patch next to her and laid back it the springy cushion.

"You know… I think there's something I should tell you." Kagome confessed as she sat down.

"What's that?" Sango asked through a wide mouthed yawn.

"Well, for one, I _am_ pregnant…"

"I know _that_. Tell me something new!" Sango sighed as she rolled over to her side and propped her head up on her fist.

"Okay… I'm not supposed to tell you this, but if you swear not to tell Miroku, I'll let you in on a secret." She leaned in conspiratorially and waited for Sango's nod. "Well, when InuYasha and I were in the modern era, we were talking about something… I can't remember what, but you came into the conversation. I asked if InuYasha could tell what you were going to have, a girl or a boy." She paused dramatically.

"Well? What'd he say? Tell me!" Sango begged.

"Both." Kagome stated proudly.

Sango looked confused for a second, then burst into a happy smile and squealed. She pulled Kagome into a strong hug and laughter bubbled over her lips like water over a cliff. When she pulled out of the hug, her hands dropped lovingly to her belly, gently rubbing it as though the children within were there in her arms already.

"No wonder I was so big! I'm having two babies! Thank you for telling me, Kagome." Sango breathed.

"No problem. Just don't tell anyone I told you that. InuYasha would kill me."

"I won't, don't worry. It'll be our little secret."

**AaA**

"What took? You guys've been gone for three hours!" InuYasha stormed as Sango and Kagome entered the house after taking their shoes off.

"Calm down, InuYasha." Miroku soothed, "I'm sure they have a good reason for taking as long as they did. Don't you?"

"We do. We had to walk slow, didn't want to overwork ourselves for the sake of the babies. And we spent a while picking out fabrics." Kagome replied coolly.

"Well, hurry up. The kitchen workers are making our dinner right now." The irritated _hanyou_ growled as he made his way to the sitting room.

"Don't mind him." Miroku assured the confused companions. "He's been like this since you left. Give him an hour and he'll be back to normal." He smirked as he shifted his staff from one hand to the other.

Kagome nodded as she stared at InuYasha's retreating figure. He could be so predictable sometimes. But it was obvious that he cared. He was only being gruff with them because he had been worried about their well-being, both of them. In spite of his attitude, Kagome had to smile. It was times like these that reinforced her love.

"How long till supper is ready?" Sango asked her husband. He only shrugged, having no clue. "Kagome, let's start cutting up our materials."

"Good idea." Kagome concurred.

The two then set off for the sitting room, the best lit room in the entire house, where they could cut up the precious fabrics and converse while waiting on supper. Once they reached the room, Sango slid back the door to reveal a brooding InuYasha sitting against the wall with a standing tray in front of him. He looked up at them for a second but said nothing and promptly nailed his eyes to the fast cooling cup of tea in front of him. Sango and Kagome ignored him though, and pulled out their wares to begin the long task of making them into children's _kimono_.

"Sango, to be completely honest, I don't really know how to make a _kimono_." Kagome admitted sadly as she looked down at the beautiful fabric.

"I'll teach you. It takes a while at first, so you might want to practice on something else. Do you have any old cloth?" Sango asked.

"Yeah. Let me go get it." Kagome was back with an armful of old curtains, ones that had somehow ended up in some closet far out of reach.

"Okay." Sango laid her fabric out flat and grabbed a piece of chalk. "Because this is a child's _kimono_, you don't have to worry about the size. If it's too big, you can always hem it. It's actually a good idea to make it a little big to start with." She started marking out dotted lines where she wanted to cut. "We'll start with the back…"

For nearly two hours, Sango took Kagome step-by-step through making a child's outfit. Several times, Kagome sewed on the wrong piece to something, but they simply cut the thread and started over. The end product was a little shabby, but she was just beginning. Kagome took out more material and tried again.

"You've already finished your first one, which is good, but now that you've figured out what to do, you need to focus on being for precise and less hasty. Like you said, 'Rome wasn't built in a day.'" Sango coached.

Just then, Miroku, Shippou, and Kirara walked in from the night bringing with them the sweet smell of food. Shortly behind them came the servants laden with trays of food. One tray was set before each member of the group, save Kirara, who received a saucer of warm cream. As they ate, InuYasha's mood became lighter, bringing him out of the corner and in to the middle of the room with the rest of the group. When they had finished, Shippou entertained them with some magic tricks, everything from disappearing cups to bringing flowers out of thin air. Their spirits were high when they departed for their respective rooms. Thus, the night ended on a happy note.

**AaA**

Three months passed quickly on the Tessaiga estates. The season of summer hurriedly gave way to fall, turning the bright green leaves and grass to a fiery red and orange. Every tree turned to a burning spectacle of autumn splendour. The weather changed dramatically too. Now, instead of warm breezes and hot afternoons, the drafts were cold, the nights almost bone-chillingly cold. Animals started to develop their shaggy winter coats. The residents of the palace changed too.

Sango was now heavily with child, making getting up and sitting down a work out that often needed a helping hand. Her due date was only days away, and the children within her knew it, and made she remembered as well. Miroku, acted in every way like the doting husband he was; if there was something Sango needed, even wanted it was there before her within minutes of the request. Thanks to the crèmes and pills that Kagome had brought back from her time, Sango endured much less in this pregnancy than was normal of the time. Her entire body ached though, ready to release its heavy parcel.

Kagome had also changed. While she still had three months to go with her child, she too felt the burden well. Her belly was quite round, though not as Sango's had been at the same time. She needed more assistance with everyday chores such as sweeping the walkway and cooking meals. InuYasha, while he doted on her just as much as Miroku doted on Sango, was far pickier about where Kagome went, and with whom she went there with. For fear that his pup would not live to see the world, he made sure that Kagome was healthy and happy. He was especially worried due to the fact that Kagome still had the same nightmare almost every night. Very unsurprisingly, the couple had far more fights over small things as well as big things. Such was the case on Sango's fateful day.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, Kagome! There is no way I'm gonna let you run down to the village! No way in _**(bleep!)**_!" InuYasha fumed.

"Please, InuYasha, I have to go get Kaede!" Kagome pleaded. "Sango is in labour, she needs a midwife, and Kaede can do that."

They had sent the servants away that day, of all days, for a little quite and relaxation for Sango's sake. Lately she had been feeling down in the mouth, though none of them had thought to connect it to her pregnancy. Now she was in pain in the next room, had been since the wee hours of the morning, waiting for someone to help her. Kagome did not know what to do, and Sango only knew minimal amounts. They needed someone older with more experience in the realm of childbearing.

"Please, InuYasha, I'm begging you!" Kagome felt tears brimming around her eyes. She placed both hands on her husband's chest and looked pleadingly into his golden orbs.

"Kagome, I ain't lettin' you go to the village. You're six months pregnant for the_ kami's_ sake!" He growled down at her.

"I can't help Sango with this! I'm clueless! We need Kaede! She's in pain." Tears spilled over her lashes and traced shining lines down her cheeks.

"I'll go!" A young voice called the couple's attention down to their feet. It was Shippou. Neither of them had even noticed his arrival. "I don't know the first thing about helping you here. Let me go to the village and get Kaede. Besides, I can go faster than you would, _Okaasan_." Shippou offered.

"Oh thank you, Shippou!" Kagome bent down and wrapped her adopted son in a warm hug. "You're such an angel!" she pulled back and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "You need to go now, don't stop for any reason."

"What do I tell Kaede?" He asked.

"Tell her that Sango is in labour and needs help quickly. Tell her to bring pain killing herbs and plenty of healing agents. Of course, she'll probably do that anyway…"

Shippou repeated the words aloud a few times then turned his red head back to Kagome and set a grim look upon his face. "_Hai!_" With that he disappeared down the hall running as fast as his paws would carry him.

Kagome slowly stood back up and watched as Shippou disappeared around the corner. She did not move until she heard the gate creak open then shut again. Behind the two, someone shuffled quickly up to them. They turned to see a very worried looking Miroku, his eyes asking for help.

"How is she?" Kagome turned and stepped toward the monk.

"The contractions aren't far apart. The baby will be here soon, whether or not we find a midwife." He replied grimly.

Kagome nodded and left the two men alone, heading straight to her best friend's side. Men weren't normally allowed to enter the room of a delivering woman, but they had no one else to turn to. Now that Kagome was free to help though he would not be permitted to enter the room anymore. When she pushed aside the sliding door, her nose was assaulted with the heavy scent of sweat and tears. Sango sat on a futon, propped up by pillows, the sheets thrown aside, her _kimono_ hiked up to her upper thighs. Kagome shut the door quietly and moved to sit at her friend's side.

"Shippou left to get Kaede. They should be here in a little while. Do you think you can hold on that long?" Kagome asked as she grabbed a cold wet rag from the basin by the bed and dabbed the sweat away from Sango's forehead.

"I'll try." Sango grunted as another contraction seized her. When the pain let go of her, she slumped tiredly against the pillows. "I'm so tired, Kagome. I don't know if I can do this."

"Shhh." The young woman soothed. "You've already come this far. Besides, you were a demon slayer! You killed demons for a living. Just look at this as another battle." Kagome teased.

Sango gave a weak laugh before she seized up again, another contraction working its way through her body. Again she slumped back into the relative comfort of the pillows behind her. Her breathing was ragged, coming in short bursts, trying to refill her lungs, so tired from their unusual exertion.

"Hang in there, Sango. You'll do just fine." Kagome whispered as she dabbed a little more of the sweat on her friend's forehead away. "Just stay calm. Kaede will be here soon."

Sango nodded weakly then tensed up as another contraction raged through her body. This one was far worse than the rest had been though, drawing a pained cry from the demon slayer. Outside, Kagome could hear the men shuffling about. She could hear InuYasha trying to calm Miroku, trying to keep him out of the room.

"Kagome… I can't do this!" Sango cried, tears falling rapidly from her tightly clenched eyes.

"Hush, you'll make it just fine! Just hold on." Kagome tried to sooth the woman, though she was wondering if everything _would_ be okay. She dipped the rag into the basin again and then placed its cool fabric on Sango's head, then quickly rose.

When she pushed aside the door, she immediately spotted Miroku and InuYasha sitting on her right side, their legs across Indian style, watching the sun set. When he saw Kagome immerge from the room, Miroku shot up and rushed forward. She met both of them half way and completely ignored the worried _houshi_. Her eyes locked into InuYasha's.

"Shippou is taking too long. She can't wait any longer." Kagome whispered quietly. As if to solidify her claim, Sango let out another pained cry behind her.

"I'll go get her." InuYasha said as he looked back down at Kagome. "I can have her here in five minutes tops." With that said, he leapt up onto the roof and took a running leap that launched him several hundred feet in the air.

"Will she be okay?"

Kagome drew her eyes away from the now empty roof and looked Miroku square in the eyes. "I can't say for sure. I _hope_ she'll be okay, but a part of me doubts that everything will work out."

Miroku nodded his head sadly. "I'll go to the shrine and pray. That's the least I can do."

Kagome nodded her head and placed a hand on the retreating monk's shoulder. "If she believes strongly enough that she can do it, I think she'll be okay." She offered.

Miroku gave a weak smile then continued on his way to the Buddhist shrine not far from the Tessaiga compound. There he knew he could find some measure of inner peace, or at least, immerse himself totally in a world of chanting and incense to sooth him enough to give him a calmer mind. Kagome, in turn, went back to the birthing room and made it her duty to give whatever comfort she could to the ailing Sango, to keep her safe while they waited for InuYasha to return with the wizened old Kaede. Everything was held on that small and delicate thread.

**AaA**

"Shippou, where's Kaede?" InuYasha growled when he touched down in front of the old _miko's_ hut.

"She's inside gathering her herbs and things. Why? Has Sango taken a turn for the worse?" Shippou asked, worry edging into his voice.

"You might say that." He called distractedly over his shoulder as he entered the hut.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the strong smell of healing herbs and balms assaulted his nose. He could see Kaede bent over a table gathering herbs and putting them into separate pouches then shoving then into a mussel sack that hung off her shoulder. He stepped into the single room hut and was about to speak before the old woman beat him to the punch.

"Sango is not doing well." She stated rather than asked without looking up from her work.

"Keh." He huffed as he continued walking.

"I have everything I need now, we can leave." Kaede muttered as she slowly stood up straight and turned to address the _hanyou_.

He nodded once then exited the room and crouched outside, waiting for the old woman to come out. When she did, she made it straight way to him and allowed him to give her a piggyback ride, as he did often for Kagome when they had been hunting for the jewel shards. When she was situated, InuYasha shot off in the air, leaving Shippou behind in the dust.

"InuYasha! What am I supposed to do?" Shippou called out to the receding form.

"Just run on your own feet! I gotta get to Sango fast!" InuYasha's voice called though his body had long since disappeared.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it!" Shippou kicked a small pebble with all his might. "This is the hundredth time I've been left behind because of InuYasha!" He crossed his little arms over his chest and plopped down on the dirt to sulk. After only a few minutes though, he decided he'd had enough and got up again.

"I might as well get back to the estate. Just in case I _can_ be helpful." Shippou took off running as fast as his little legs could pump. "Hold on Sango, InuYasha is coming." He whispered silently to the cold wind that ruffled his red hair.

**AaA**

InuYasha landed lightly in the garden just a few feet shy of the room in which Sango was labouring. The old woman on his back carefully slid off and hobbled to the door. With Miroku's help, she stepped up onto the walkway and slid back the door. She hobbled into the room and slid the door shut again. Her old eye took several minutes readjusting to the dim light of the room. Off to her left, she could hear some one getting up and walking towards her.

"Oh thank the _kami!_I didn't know if you would make it on time." Kagome sighed in relief. "Sango is having a terrible time of it all." She turned to see the young woman sag back against the wall again.

"Have you noted any change in the child? Is she dilated enough?" Kaede's old voice croaked.

"I hadn't checked recently, I've been too busy keeping Sango from getting a fever."

"Very well." Kaede grunted as she knelt down at Sango's feet and pushed back the white and pink material to get a better look. "Kagome, get one of the men to get a few more lit lamps. My old eyes are not what they used to be."

"_Hai._" Kagome bowed and exited the room.

Kaede squinted in the dark light to see if everything was all right on this end of the delivery. She rummaged through her bag for a few seconds, pausing only when Kagome reentered the room to sit by Sango's quivering side. When she procured the proper herbs for the job at hand she grabbed a pestle and bowl and began to grind the herb to a fine powder. When it was the proper powder state, she added a small amount of the hot water that sat on the side of the bed and mixed again. Once this was finished, she handed it to Kagome.

"Make her drink this, it well make the baby come more quickly." She bade. "The longer she stays like this, the more likely it be that we lose her and the child."

"Sango…? Here, drink this, it'll make everything end sooner." Kagome soothed as she placed the rim of the bowl at Sango's pale lips. The demon slayer drank the potion and grimaced at the taste.

There came a timid knock on the door. "That must be InuYasha with the lamps." Kagome muttered and rose to retrieve the said items.

Very soon, the room was alight with lamps glowing in almost every corner and on every stand available. The two women worked in near silence, aside from Sango's groans and cries of pain. Minutes passed like hours, hour like days, until Kaede finally announced that it was time to begin pushing the baby out of the birth channel. With words of support from Kagome at her side, holding her hand tightly, Sango nodded weakly and pushed with all that was in her. When she could push no more, she collapsed against the wall gasping.

"Sango! You must push more! You're almost there." Kaede coached Sango on.

She steeled herself and pushed again. Though she had no idea where her strength came from, save maybe that her best friend was there with her, she pushed and pushed until Kaede told her she could rest for a second. She knew the babies were on their way, but how she longed to be done right then. She had been at this all day, since the time the sun had risen. She needed a rest.

"Sango, push again, quickly! The longer the baby stays in the birth channel, the more likely it'll die!" Kaede urged from her place at Sango's feet.

Tears coursed down Sango's tired and pale face but she pushed anyway. "Don't stop now! Keep pushing! It's crowning!" The old healer's voice called through the pain.

Now came the hard part, the part that Sango dreaded most. She could feel each excruciating moment as her child, son or daughter, she couldn't know, inched out of the channel. She could bear it no longer, a cry more pain filled than any in the past ripped through her throat and reverberated through the room, frightening the men outside for her safety. Finally Kaede pulled the child completely out of the channel safely and Sango slumped against the wall once more.

Kaede cut the cord attaching the young one to its mother and handed it to Kagome to care for while she passed the afterbirth. Or so she thought, when she placed her hands gently on Sango's midsection, she felt another body. "Sango! You are having twins!" She gasped in astonishment. The young mother nodded weakly that she already knew. "Well, why are you laying there? Push!" Kaede readied herself again for the next child.

While the two others were preoccupied with the birth of another child, Kagome busied herself with cleaning off the child that had just entered the world. She marveled at the tiny details on his hands and face as she washed away the blood and birth fluids. He had a full head of black hair and a beautiful complexion, especially for a newborn. She smiled tenderly and she wrapped the little boy tightly in a baby blanket. Before she could finish though, his small mouth started to quiver and a tiny cry issued forth. Kagome rocked him gently as she made her way to his still labouring mother.

"Sango, he's beautiful!" Kagome whispered. She held him out to her, but Sango shook her head weakly.

"I can't hold him. I'm having a hard time just getting his sister out." Sango whispered laughingly, hardly able to spare the breath to explain her rejecting her son.

Kagome nodded silently and looked for a way that she could pacify this tiny thing that squealed unhappily in her arms. Then the idea hit her. She placed him in the cradle that had been moved into the room early that morning and rushed off to her room. Once she reached it, she procured her yellow pack and dug. Finally she found what she needed and returned to the birthing room with all haste.

"What do you have, Kagome?" Kaede asked as the younger woman entered the room.

Kagome held up a small package. "Pacifiers!" She proclaimed proudly.

Kaede obviously didn't understand, so she simply went back to her duty as midwife. It had bee a full half hour since the first child had been birthed, the next one stubbornly holding onto its mother. While Sango rested momentarily, Kaede fixed another tonic to help speed this young one's impending birth. Sango drank it and grimaced as she had before but kept in down. Within ten minutes, she was pushing again, this time the baby was nearly there.

While all this was going on, Kagome had opened the package and place the tiny pacifier into the newborn's mouth. He accepted it gladly and now was suckling peacefully at it, which left Kagome to continue her duties as Kaede's helper. Just as she turned from his cradle, Kaede called out to her. Through Sango's pained cries, Kagome collected that the final baby was close to crowning and that she needed clean water.

"There's some outside the door. I'll go get it now."

"Come now, Sango, push! Do not stop!" Kaede commanded sternly. Finally the child crowned. "Good, keep pushing, not much longer," she muttered. "Kagome, come quickly, the last one is almost out!" She called.

Kagome entered the room struggling with another basin of hot water. When she had placed it on the ground and added some cold water to cool it slightly, she turned to sit at Kaede's side, ready to take the final child. Five long minutes passed before the girl was safely out. Kaede cut the umbilical cord and gently handed her to Kagome, then returned to her work, this time to definitely pass the afterbirth.

Kagome washed the tiny girl gently, who was much smaller than her brother, then wrapped her tightly as she had done to her brother and walked over to Sango. "Do you have enough strength to hold your daughter?" She asked.

"Yes! Let me see her!" Sango held out her arms and took her daughter tenderly.

Just then, Kaede rose from her place carrying a basin full of the afterbirth. "Once you've been made decent, the father may come in." she called over her shoulder as she hobbled out to dispose of the fluid.

Kagome pulled the soiled _kimono_ over Sango's legs to give her a little bit more privacy. She smiled when she saw the new mother tenderly stroking her now quiet daughter's cheek. Now it was time to bring in Miroku.

**AaA**

Miroku paced through the dining room, wincing every time he heard Sango cry out. When it finally died down, when he could no longer hear her, he stopped pacing and stood waiting next to the door. Off to his right InuYasha and Shippou waited as well.

"Calm down. She's fine. I'd've smelled if one of them was in danger or dead." InuYasha said, trying to calm Miroku down a bit.

The _houshi_ only halfway heard him and nodded distractedly. Several minutes later, he could hear someone walking down the walkway towards them. When the door slid open, he leapt at the bearer of the news and grabbed her shoulders tightly.

"Is she okay? How's the baby?" He asked worriedly. When Kagome had extracted herself from his grasp she stepped back and smiled.

"They're fine. You may go see them now."

That was all Miroku needed. Before Kagome could say another word, he was racing down the hallway to the room and his wife and first child. When he finally reached the room, he pushed aside the door and stepped in. The moment he laid eyes upon Sango, his heart leapt into his throat. She held not one but _two_ babies! She smiled tiredly but happily at his priceless expression.

"Miroku, meet your new son and daughter, Kiyoshi and Aiko." Sango said quietly.

**End of Chapter**

**Translator:**

_**Houshi:**_ Buddhist priest during the feudal era.

_**Kiyoshi:**_ The quiet one.

_**Aiko:**_ Beloved one, little loved one.

**AaA**

**To the reviewers: ShadowDragon: **HAHA! You were right. I hope you enojyed this chapter. Keep on reviewing! **T G Athena:** Thanks, I tried really hard. And thank you for being the ONLY person that reviewed on pretty much every chapter. It's very helpful and encouraging:) **Kagome&Inu4 eva: **I LOVE long reviews! Thank you for spending the time to write all that done, you honour me! **InuYashafan:** I'm glad you liked it! It's harder than you'd think to keep to their personalities. Anyway, please continue to read and review!!!

**AaA**

**Last notes: **_**(sighs)**_ Finally done with that chapter! It all came out as I wrote though; I didn't have to stop writing to get ideas. YAY! Anyway, I apologize that it was sooooooo long. I didn't think it would be as long as it was, but it turned out pretty darn long. Hope you don't mind. If it's too long, please tell me and I can be aware of that for the next chapter. So I'll give ya a smidgen of the next chapter to keep you hooked and then I'll be gone!

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_**Next Chapter!:** "Sango! Feel! She's kicking!" Kagome squealed happily as she dropped her sewing and grabbed Sango's hand._

_The two women giggled like little girls when they felt the tiny pup inside Kagome's womb kick furiously against the walls of her little cocoon. Off to the side, Aiko started crying for her mother. Sango quickly moved to pluck her colicky daughter out of her cradle. When she got the little girl suckling peacefully at her breast, she turned back to Kagome._

_"That little girl seems to have inherited her father's impatience! She's ready to get out and see the world!" She chuckled._


	8. No Such Thing as Happily Ever After

**Disclaimer:** You guys know what I'm gonna say… I only own Kiyoshi and Aiko.

**Author's Notes:** Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Seemed like I didn't even have to think about what to write, it just went from my brain to my fingers. Yay for me! Anyway, this chapter was a little bit harder to write, since I had one scene in particular in mind while writing it, so the rest is just filler. I warn you, if you're the emotional type… keep a box of Kleenex near-by, whether for good or bad… who knows? That's all I'm gonna say. Enjoy… _**Review!**_

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**Last Chapter:** Kagome wakes from her nightmare, finding it was only a dream. Later on, she and Sango go fabric shopping for the coming children and for Shippou. They buy special cloth woven by a spider demon somewhere high in the mountains. Three months pass and Sango's finally ready to deliver the twins. She suffers through a twelve-hour long struggle before finally giving birth to two healthy infants. She names them Kiyoshi and Aiko.

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**Chapter 8: No Such Thing as Happily Ever After**

The next day came and went much as it would have on any other day, save that Sango was not to be seen, nor were the children she had born the night before. Kaede, before taking her leave of the estates for some rest, had left many instructions with Kagome and the new mother as to the care of mother and child, one of those instructions being that Sango was not to rise from bed for a whole week, not even to sit outside on the walkway. This was not something Sango enjoyed, being a free soul, but she accepted her fate quietly as any noble woman might and resigned herself to be shut up in the birthing room with her children, alone. Or so she thought.

"Oh dear. There is no way on earth I'm letting you stay in this dark room alone!" Kagome huffed next to the door as she heaved aside its heavy frame.

"Kagome, really, I'm fine." Sango sat up slowly from her palate on the ground and peered across the dark room at the woman that had just entered.

"Mhm. Right." There was a slight pause, then a tired sigh. "Well, I guess the least I can do then is open these doors and take the screens off the windows for now. You need the fresh air after last night."

There was a great deal of rattling and grunting as Kagome pulled off the screens and shoved the doors open. Light streamed into the dark room, banishing the shadows to distant corners, and playing happily on the tender faces of two newborn infants that lay now on either side of the demon slayer. The faint beginnings of a storm's winds rushed through the now open room, taking the sour smells of healing herbs and dried blood with it. Sango blinked at the intensity of the light and lifted one hand to shield her eyes. When finally she became accustomed to the light, she glanced down at her new progeny. How much pain and exhaustion she had endured to bring these beings into existence. How many hours had she toiled, her blood mingling with the sweat that had covered her body. She would never take it back, not now that she had seen her Aiko and Kiyoshi.

"He's so beautiful." Kagome breathed as she lifted the tiny boy into her arms. "I still haven't seen his eyes. I wonder what colour they are?" Kagome pulled back a corner of the blanket covering Kiyoshi's pink cheeks.

Sango chuckled from her place on the futon. "They'll be blue for the first three months… they always are."

"Do you think he'll end up like Miroku? With the 'cursed' hand of his?" Kagome giggled, referring to Miroku's lecherously inclined right hand.

"I do hope not! One is bad enough, but to have two? That would be the end of me!" Sango laughed.

For a while the two sat together in silence, marveling over these new babies. Were it not for their difference in size, one would not be able to tell them apart. Both had a full head of curly black hair, perfect creamy complexions, and even the same shape of face and body. When they were awake, which was a rare occasion indeed, Kiyoshi tended to be the peaceful one, content to lay in the arms of anyone that would hold him, giving only a quiet grunt or tiny cry when he needed to be fed or changed. Aiko, on the other hand, tended to be louder… much louder. When her lips were not pressed together in sleep, they were wide apart crying for some reason or other far unknown to anyone else. Only in her mother's arms was she content to lay, and even then only _after_ she had been indulged with milk. One could only wonder what would become of either of the twins in years to come.

"Ah! I see my dear Sango has at last rested and is now awake!" Miroku called cheerfully from the open door. He apparently had entered while Kagome and Sango had both been lost in thought. "Let me see my son." With arms outstretched, Miroku took Kiyoshi from Kagome and gently rocked him to sleep.

"My dear boy, I pray you don't end up like me…" He whispered quietly.

"I'd have to agree!" Came a deeper voice from behind.

"InuYasha! I would have thought you kinder to a poor, tired, emotionally drained father!" Miroku feigned a hurt disposition.

"Keh!" InuYasha huffed in reply. "Kagome, let's go talk… outside." He muttered then disappeared out the door.

"I'll be back in a little while." Kagome sighed as she followed after her mate's wake.

"Take you time!" Sango called after her.

**AaA**

Harsh, cold winds drove through the estates, yanking the last of the autumn's flowers and leaves from their perches and sending them spinning through the air. The screens on every door and window shook violently as the wind picked up speed. Standing next to the Bone Eater's Well, a single figure stood watching silently. InuYasha stood facing the winds, letting their cold fingers buffet his cheeks, tug his hair and clothes, and send cold shivers coursing up and down his spine. Something was coming, and that something was not good. He did not even turn around when he heard the tiny pitter-patter of feet approaching from behind. A gentle hand settled comfortably on his lower back, a tired head rested against his shoulder, but no word was said for many a minute. It was Kagome that broke the silence.

"Three more months." She stated softly. "You'll see the greatest of God's creation."

"Kagome…" InuYasha breathed, longing to go on but stopping mid thought.

"Yes? Why did you call me?" Kagome looked up into her husbands face but saw only the shadows created by his thick bangs.

"The pup… it…" InuYasha stumbled desperately for what to say next. "Kagome, it's not safe for you to stay here anymore. I want you to go back to the modern era."

"I will, but not now. We already agreed to this."

"Yeah, I know. But you need to leave sooner. Something is coming, something terrible." InuYasha pulled Kagome a little closer to his side and continued to stare out into the horizon.

"What? What's coming, InuYasha?" Kagome asked as she followed his gaze.

"Something that means only harm to us."

"How about I leave two months from now? A whole month early. Would that be enough?" Kagome asked as she pulled her outer coat a little closer.

InuYasha stood very still for a moment, still facing the wind, before answering the question. Would it be safer to send her back now, as he had done three years before when he had trapped her in her own time? Or should he allow her to stay a little longer? He did not know. He couldn't possibly know what Kouga had planned, when he would strike out at them, shattering the dreams they were building. From Kagome's dreams, he gathered it would be right before the first snows fell, which meant they had time. The snows never fell until early December. He slowly turned his face to gaze down at his mate. A tender smile played across his face when he saw the growth around her belly, a new life being formed unseen by the outside world.

"That's good enough." He finally answered.

Kagome sighed happily and leaned back into his side. "What shall we call it? I assume you already know what it is." She stated.

"Yeah, I do. It's a girl. I've known for a while now." He replied smugly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kagome questioned as she pulled back to glare into the _hanyou's_ golden eyes.

"I did. You just didn't wanna hear me, too busy arguing with me to listen." He chuckled. "Anyway," He quickly injected, forestalling any future fights, "She needs a good name."

"Hmmm." Kagome sighed. "How about _Sachi_?" She offered.

"Joy?" InuYasha scoffed. "That ain't gonna work." He paused for a moment and thought, reaching deep down for the perfect name. "_Nozomi_. Hope."

"Nozomi." Kagome murmured, rolling the sound over her tongue. "Nozomi is a beautiful name. It's perfect."

"Then Nozomi it'll be." He whispered. _You _will_ see the light of this world, I swear by all the powers of the earth that you will. No one is gonna take you from me, or your mother. Just wait and see._

**AaA**

And so time passed slowly for the next two months. The fall grew more advanced, leaving thick frost on the ground and branches each new morning, which would only release its grip at the highest hour of the day. The time of the harvest had come and gone, all the wheat and rice of the fields was now stored away in granaries to be traded and eaten as the season passed on into winter. The leaves of every tree turned a deep orange then golden brown and let go of its hold on life and fluttered to the ground to join the rest. Kagome's pregnancy quickly advanced, the child inside her womb becoming eager to join the world. Sango and Miroku's children grew too, their once blue eyes giving way to their true colours. Aiko's eyes turned a deep shade of violet, like her father's. Kiyoshi's eyes though turned a light chocolate brown like his mother's. One could only imagine how their personalities would develop.

During this cold, sluggish time InuYasha and Miroku made themselves as useful as they could be to their wives and to Aiko and Kiyoshi. Many time, though, they found that the most help they could be was to leave the women to their work. A normal day would find them walking the deer trails in the forest reliving old times and hunting, doing their best to stay away from the estates.

It was on day like this that Kagome and Sango were busy in the sitting room sewing new _kimono_ for their children. Shippou was off in the gardens frolicking about with Kirara as he usually was. Kiyoshi and his sister lay peacefully sleeping in their cradles conveniently close to Sango.

"You know that Kiyoshi won't be able to wear these until he's bigger." Kagome informed Sango as she took a break from the sleeve she had been sewing.

"Of course I know that!" Sango huffed. "But this _hapi_ was just so perfect! I had to make some _hakama_ to go with it." She sighed as she held up a brightly coloured coat.

"You're hopeless." Kagome chuckled. When Sango sighed again, the two burst into peels of happy laughter. By the modern world's standards, they should only be just getting out of high school and going into university, not married with children. But here they were.

Suddenly, as they were wiping away the final tears from their laughing spell, Kagome jumped in surprise and let out a surprised cry. A joyful smile spread crossed her face as she stared in wonder at her belly.

"Sango! Feel! She's kicking!" Kagome squealed happily as she dropped her sewing and grabbed Sango's hand.

The two women giggled like little girls when they felt the tiny pup inside Kagome's womb kick furiously against the walls of her little cocoon. But their gaiety was short lived; off to the side, Aiko began crying for her mother. Sango quickly moved to pluck her colicky daughter out of her cradle and quiet her cries. When she had succeeded in pacifying the little girl by letting her suckle peacefully at her breast, she turned back to Kagome.

"That little girl seems to have inherited her father's impatience! She's ready to get out and see the world!" She chuckled.

"I agree." Kagome's smile slowly faded though and her face took on an almost brooding appearance. She looked back down at her mending and began to work again with fervour.

With one arm holding Aiko secure to her breast and the other hand pressed to the _tatami_ mats for support, Sango leaned over and peered into Kagome's darkened face. "Kagome?" She queried. When she received no reply, she continued, "Is it the dream again?"

A single crystal tear trailed down Kagome's cheek. "It's getting so real." She whispered. "Every time it comes, it gets harder and harder to tell whether it's real or not. I can _feel_ and _hear_ everything so acutely, like I would if it really happened."

Sango scooted a little closer to her friend and placed a comforting hand on Kagome's still working hands. "Have you told Kaede yet?" She asked.

"No." Kagome replied simply, shaking her head.

"Kagome, you need to tell her." Sango urged. "If this _is_ a vision that you're having, she may have a way to get around it."

"I know, but I'm afraid that she won't be able to do anything. Besides, it's probably just a dream after all. Nozomi _is_ still alive." Kagome countered weakly.

Sango nodded slowly and patted Kagome's hands in comfort before shifting back to her original place. Just then Sakura, the youngest house servant, entered with a tray laden with a squat white teapot, four tiny white cups, and several plates of snacks. She knelt down next to the table and carefully unloaded the tray then poured the steaming tea into both cups. With a respectful bow, she rose from the floor and shuffled out the door and down the walkway.

Kagome set aside her work and took up the cup of tea. As she brought it up to her lips, she paused and gazed through the drifting steam at the gardens outside. She could hear the playful giggles of Shippou as Kirara leapt after him in a game of tag. He had grown considerably in the months since Kiyoshi and Aiko's birth; the top of his red head just reached Kagome's hip. She wondered earnestly if her daughter, the child she and InuYasha had made in love, would someday be doing the same thing. In two days, she would leave for the modern era as she had promised. Hopefully that would be enough to keep their unborn pup from dieing. But Kagome could only hope. The sound of someone clearing their throat brought the woman out of her trance.

"Oi! Wench!" InuYasha was almost nose-to-nose with Kagome. With a squeal of fright, she dropped her cup on her lap and fell backward. InuYasha managed to get most of the hot liquid on his lap and let out a pained yelp as he shot backwards as well, away from the tea.

"InuYasha!" Kagome gasped, her hand clutching the breast of her bright green _kimono _in shock. "Don't do that!" She pleaded.

"_**(bleep!)**_, you're the one that dumped_ hot _tea in my lap! _I'm_ the one that should be saying that!" He countered angrily.

"Well I'm sorry, but you scared me! What else was I supposed to do?" She asked.

Behind her, Sango chuckled. She no longer had Aiko at her breast, luckily. Now sitting at her side though, Miroku smirked, a pair of wooden chopsticks poised in his right hand, ready to carry a tasty _sushi_ roll to his mouth when he pleased. As the married couple continued to bicker about whose fault it was for this or that, or about the health of scaring an eighth month pregnant woman, Sango turned smiling to her husband.

"So, what news of the outside world?" She queried. "It's been a long time since I've taken up _harikostu_ against _youkai_ and such, I fear I might have lost the touch." Sango sighed as she picked her son up out of his cradle and handed him to his father.

"Well, the news is…" Miroku paused as he took Kiyoshi into his arms, "It's… not all good."

"What do you mean 'not all good,' is something gone wrong?" Sango asked curiously.

Miroku sighed deeply and raked his free hand through his silky black hair, successfully pulling it out of its loose ponytail. "Wars among the _samurai_ and the serfs, as well as the _youkai_ lords, have sprung up at an alarming rate. The whole of Japan seems to be in an uproar! We are lucky here in our little island of small villages, but it will not last long. We've already lost the home that you and I built by the river. Someone, or something, came through and destroyed it. At this very moment that something is driving towards us." He whispered quietly.

"What? What is coming, Miroku?" Kagome turned to address the _houshi_, her argument with InuYasha now forgotten.

"I can not say for sure." Miroku sighed. "It's almost like a… hmm. Like a storm of sorts. But not a nature storm, though one is coming our way, it's more like a storm of turmoil and political unrest… and death." He finished grimly.

"We can't be sure of it though," InuYasha interrupted quickly, "It was more of a feel than anything else. The only hard evidence we had that something was wrong out there was the rumours of wars among the people and _youkai_."

"Kagome-sama, we had hoped you would shed some light on it all. You have learned about all this in your modern schoolrooms. Did you hear of great uprisings of _youkai_ and politics?" Miroku asked as he shifted the tiny bundle from one arm to the next.

"I have read a lot about Japanese history," Kagome admitted, "But I can't say I know what you're talking about. There were many wars among the villages and such near the end of the era, but I never read anything about _youkai_, understandably. The only thing that I can say is that soon, we'll be under a new way of ruling, if I'm thinking of the right time. I might very well be wrong."

"Then there is all the more reason, speaking of _mononoke _and _youkai_, for me to try to rebuild the demon slayer's village!" Sango announced. "I'll start with my own children. Then, once I have trained them as best I can, I'll find orphans and train them as well. I had always hoped to do that someday. Now seems as good a time as any." She smiled weakly.

"My dear Sango, that will take many years." Miroku warned. "The unrest may very well be gone by the time your village is remade to its former grandeur."

"Yes, I _know_ that!" she huffed in reply. "But I want to do it anyway. I've never liked the thought that one night took away everything I had held dear, so even when I joined you guys I had planned to rebuild the demon slayer's village."

Miroku placed a hand on his wife's thigh and smiled. How he admired the tenacity that she had! Even when all hope had been lost to her, she had made a vow to return to the village of her birth and remake it. She had not wallowed in her misery and wasted away for lack of hope, she had continued. Miroku was not the only one that thought this of course, the entire group agreed wholeheartedly with him, but he took a greater pride in it than they did. He was pleased that now he would be there to help her, he would help her to produce the needed children for training. Of course, he would take the greatest pleasures in producing said trainees; he _was_ a _hentai_ after all, through and through. _**(IB:**__ Good ol' Miroku! We love him!)_

The four continued to sit there in the dining room, as they had on so many other occasions, speaking of the goings on of the outside world. The sun began to set, its life span much shortened by the advancing of seasons, and the stars and moon began to glitter in the velvety black sky. Yet, even as they discussed matters, a great cloud came over the estate and all of the area from Kaede's village to the mountains that shielded them from the outside world that was now in such an uproar. The underbelly of this cloud was dark, heavy with precipitation, stiflingly thick and low in the sky. It acted as one living the way it weaved around the tops of the skeletal trees, around the huts of peasants, and finally stopped dead centre over the Tessaiga Estates. So deep in their conversations though, the four never once noticed it until the servant girl came bearing their dinners and many candles to accompany the already burning braziers.

"Look at that fog!" Sango gasped. "It must have snuck in while we were talking."

"On the feet of a cat." Kagome whispered to herself. The sense of foreboding she had felt for so long had suddenly intensified. This fog was unnatural and it brought with it something she could not place that made her uneasy. But she quickly threw it aside when InuYasha began to stare. "In any case, we should eat before the food gets cold. Shippou! Shippou, supper is ready!" She called out into the gardens where they had last seen the _kitsune _boy.

There was the patter of small feet and then a form appeared in the fog, followed by another one that ran on four legs. When they reached the walkway, one could finally make out some sense of what they were. Shippou dusted off his tiny paws and _kimono_ then entered the room to sit at his place next to Kagome. Kirara licked her own paws clean and then quickly nestled herself next to her owner's warm legs.

"You guys should have seen the way the fog rolled in!" Shippou gushed between bites of rice. "It actually wound _around_ the houses down by the river before it covered them up, and it moved so fast too!"

Kagome shifted uncomfortably and glanced nervously at InuYasha. He seemed to be just as unnerved by this sudden unnatural thing as she was, if not more so. When she looked into his crisp golden eyes, she saw something she had not seen for a long time; fear. At her side though, Shippou continued gaily.

"Me and Kirara run right in front of it, literally. The stuff was nipping at our tails when we finally got back to the gardens. Then it seemed to stop all of a sudden, once it reached the estates." He ended in a whisper, almost as though he was starting to feel the same way that Kagome and InuYasha felt.

"I don't know that I like it." Sango quipped.

"Now that you say that… I'm starting to feel as though…" Shippou stumbled, "Well, it's starting to feel like a living thing, don't you think so, _Okaasan_... _Okaasan_?"

All eyes turned to Kagome. She made no move or sound to acknowledge that she had been spoken too. Her hands, once folded neatly on her lap, clutched the silken material there at her thighs so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. In fact, her whole body looked ashen, as though she had seen a ghost. But it was not her trembling body that everyone gazed at; it was her face. The look of sheer terror in her eyes, the way she gasped silently for breath, it frightened them.

"Kagome?" Sango called, her voice shaking.

InuYasha rose quickly from his seat and rushed to his mate's side. He took a firm hold of her shoulders and shook her gently. "Kagome! Snap outta it!" He barked, searching her eyes worriedly.

But she did nothing. She merely gazed into his face with an unseeing expression, as though all of her being was turned inside, waging some terrible battle that no one could see, let alone know and understand. And she was. Sometime during Shippou's happy banter, something had hit her like a rock; some_thing_ had taken a hold inside her. Now it spoke to her, deep in her mind, calling up every fear that lay near the surface and feeding them until they raged like wildfires. _You thought you would get away from me, didn't you?_ It taunted. _You thought you could escape me. Well, you're wrong now! It's too late. You can't get away from me now._ _It's too late. _The words echoed inside her, sapping her of all her strength. Finally, words whispered out of her mouth.

"InuYasha, it's too late."

"Come on, Kagome, you're tired." InuYasha soothed, though his ears betrayed his calm by twitting about frantically. "Let's go to bed now." Gently he picked her up into his arms bridal style and turned to address the rest of the group. "We're gonna call it a night. Kagome needs some rest; it's been a long day with a lot of stuff goin' on. We'll see you guys in the morning." With that, he turned and disappeared quickly into the fog.

**AaA**

When he reached their room, he gently slid the door aside with his foot and entered. Once he had set Kagome down on their futon, he closed the door and lit the lamps. As he turned to peer at his wife, InuYasha felt a sick feeling hit the pit of his stomach. He knew this was going to happen. He had known that no matter how much he tried, he would not be able to save his unborn pup from its fate. Even now, Kagome sat in a trance almost, staring blankly at the bright coloured screens and dark hard wood walls. She had made no move to dress for sleep, nor had she even made any recognition that she sat in their room. With a heavy heart, InuYasha knelt down in front of the ailing woman and untied the sash of her _obi_. Gently, he removed her silken _kimono_ and laid her down in bed under the warmth of the down comforter.

"Kagome, go to sleep. I'm here." He whispered into her ear. "Nothing will happen while I'm here, I swear it." He vowed as he pulled her close and placed a protective hand over her swollen belly. Under that hand he could feel his pup; she was still alive. He could hear her little heartbeat. With her body moving inside of Kagome's womb, he took comfort.

"Goodnight, InuYasha." Kagome finally whispered. She had come out of the trance when InuYasha had placed his hand on her belly, but she had no desire to do anything other than sleep now.

"Goodnight, Kagome. I love you." He answered.

**AaA**

"Kagome! Wake up! It's one in the afternoon! Get up!"

Kagome groggily rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. It _was_ late, she could tell by the shadows in the room. And there was sun! _The unnatural fog must have lifted sometime this morning._ Her mind buzzed. For the first time in months, she had slept the full night through without the nightmare haunting her. Her belly was swollen with a child that even now kicked and spun violently inside her, bidding her to rise.

"Kagome? Are you up yet?" The voice called again from outside.

"Yes, Shippou, I'm awake." She answered. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Everyone is in the tea room, so I'll meet you there." Shippou informed her.

Slowly, and with much difficulty, Kagome rose from the bed and pulled on her robe. Wrapping it tight around her, she cinched the tie into a tight knot for prudence then slipped a pair of _tabi_ on to keep her feet warm. When her hair had been brushed out she slid back the door and let the cold breeze caress her face.

It was a beautiful day with nary a cloud in the sky. It stuck her as odd though, that the thick fog of the night before had lifted so quickly; the day did not seem warm enough to do such a thing. She merely shrugged it aside though, hoping that the night before had been nothing but a fleeting thing. So, with a bright smile, she began to stroll down the walkway towards the room that the _kitsune_ boy had told her held the rest of the group. Yet, as she walked, she began to see things that did not seem quite right given the season. Several birds twittered from high perches and from around the ponds, on the shores of each of these ponds, lotus flowers bloomed cheerfully, and the water itself was unfrozen.

Just as she turned the corner, very close to the tearoom, she spotted Sakura carrying a tray of tea with several cups. She lifted her hand in a wave and started to call out to her but found that her voice had gone. The young maid stopped and stared curiously at her. Kagome began to feel moisture between her legs and severe pains in her womb. She looked down at her feet and saw something that made her heart stop; blood. Her pure white _tabi_ were drenched in it! Off in the distance, she heard Sakura scream, heard the tray she had been carrying fall to the ground and shatter into a thousand pieces.

"InuYasha-sama!" She screamed, heading for the tearoom. "InuYasha-sama! Come quickly!"

Just as she reached the room, the doors banged wide open, InuYasha standing with his hand on the Tessaiga that was belted to his left side. Suddenly, as Sango and Miroku appeared at the door, a great wind roared through the courtyard, rattling the screens loudly. The clouds that had only just broken reassembled and began to spill their heavy burdens. Snow flurried down and quickly covered the entire grounds in a thick white blanket.

"Sakura!" Miroku called, "What is the matter? Why did you call for us so frantically?"

The young girl could only point a trembling finger in the direction that Kagome had once stood. All eyes turned that way and were greeted by the sight of the woman on her knees, the floor around pooling with blood. Inside the room behind them, Aiko and Kiyoshi began wailing in unison.

"Kagome!" InuYasha screamed.

Kagome stared down at her hands helplessly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard heavy footfalls coming her way, but she could do nothing but gasp for air and paw at her stomach desperately. When she finally looked back up, InuYasha knelt in front of her, a terrified look on his face, both hands firmly set on her quivering shoulders. Tears began to stream down her paling cheeks.

"I'm… so… sorry." She whispered despairingly. "It's all my fault!" She choked.

"Shhh, don't talk like that, wench! Everything will be fine." InuYasha replied, trying his best not to panic. He half turned and pointed to Shippou and shouted some orders. "Shippou! Get Kaede quick!" He lifted Kagome into his arms and then addressed the woman that stood not far behind him. "Sango, I need your help!"

"_Hai!_" She answered. "Sakura-chan, I need you to get a nursemaid to take care of Aiko and Kiyoshi, quickly!" Sango ordered as she quickly followed after InuYasha's fast receding form. "Miroku, get some hot water and lots of rags from the kitchen. I have a feeling we gonna need all the rags and clothe you can get." She whispered grimly.

With each member of the household running hither and yon with orders and needs to be filled, from a bird's eye view, it looked like a busy ant's nest. Above all the din of yelling and crying, InuYasha did his best to keep himself calm, as well as his young mate. Her breathing was becoming more and more ragged and frantic, her pupils dilated so far that the iris was near impossible to see, and her skin so pale that it rivaled even the snow that now lay inches thick around them. Once they had reached the birthing room, he shoved aside the door and laid Kagome gently on the futon.

"InuYasha, you _must_ get her to breath a little more normally! If she keeps going the way she is, she's sure to cause herself and the baby irreparable damage." Sango said as she set about her job as impromptu midwife.

"Whadda think I'm trying to do!?" He shot back. Never the less, he took Kagome's face in both hands and turned it in his direction. "Kagome, look at me! You have to calm down. Sango's taking care of you and Kaede is on her way. I'm right here. Just breath." He coached her.

Just then, Miroku burst into the room with a cauldron of steaming water in both hands and dozens of rags draped on his shoulders and neck. He set them all down next to Sango and left the room just as quickly as he had come, but not before Sango called for one last favour.

"Miroku, we need some cold water now. Just scoop a bunch of snow into a big bowl and bring it in; Kagome is burning with fever."

"I'm on it." He called as he disappeared down the walkway.

"InuYasha… the baby!" Kagome wailed miserably. The pain in her womb was almost unbearable and she could no longer feel Nozomi moving in her.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it, woman, don't talk like that! Ya gotta fight, Kagome!" InuYasha growled.

Meanwhile, Sango received the bowl of snow from Miroku and held it over one of the pots of boiling water, causing the ice to melt into freezing cold water. After it had thawed enough to suit her, she dropped a few rags in and handed it to the _hanyou_. "Put that on her forehead and shoulders, it should help to keep the fever down. And keep her calm for the _kami's_ sake!" Sango barked as she ducked back down between Kagome's wide spread legs.

Kagome seized up as a contraction raced through her body. When it let up, she slumped against the wall and gasped for air. It was all she could do to keep from screaming and writhing from the intensity of the pain. She could feel fluids seeping out of her, drenching the futon and blankets underneath her. One look at that area was enough to send her panicking. InuYasha took a tight hold of her shoulders though and pushed her back firmly but gently then held her there. Another wave of pain swept over her, leaving her unable to do anything but cry out. At her legs, Sango began to worry.

"InuYasha, I need Kaede here now! Kagome is losing too much blood and the pup isn't even close to coming!" She despondently.

"What the _**(bleep!)**_ am I supposed to do about that?! I'm havin' a hard enough time keeping her where she is!" He growled back.

"Miroku!" Sango called. She grabbed rag after rag and pressed it to Kagome's skin and legs, hoping to soak up most of the blood, though it was a failing attempt. "Come and hold onto Kagome and keep her in one place. InuYasha needs to go get Kaede before it's too late!" She ordered as her husband entered the room.

When InuYasha was fully satisfied with the way Miroku was holding his wife, he took off running, not wanted to waste one second of their precious time. With a leap and a bound he was on the street outside their compound and racing down the road for the village.

Back in the birthing room, things took a turn for the worse. The contractions came faster with little time between for Kagome to rest, and they were far more painful than any had been before. Each time one swept over her, Kagome's body went as taut as a bowstring and cry of pain peeled out of her that would have frightened even the toughest of _youkai_. Sango worked swiftly dipping the rags into the hot water and wiping away as much blood as she could. For now, there was nothing else she could do, no drugs she could give her best friend to ease the pain. Tears began to blur her work, but she swatted them away furiously, not willing to give in to despair yet. From his place at her head, Miroku was starting to wonder how it would all end. He had heard of mothers and children dieing in childbirth, it was actually a very common thing, but he had never thought it would happen in their group. They had battled so many _youkai_ of a much fiercer nature, coming to the very teeth of death and jumping back unscathed. It seemed unrealistic for one of them to die in childbirth, of all things!

But Kagome continued with some hidden strength. Her tears mingled with blood, her cries making her throat hoarse to the point that whimpering was all she was capable of, and yet she continued.

"Kagome, you can do it." Miroku comforted. "You killed Naraku, after all, you can get through this too."

"I can't do this, Sango! I'm so tired." Kagome wheezed.

"Yes, Kagome, you _can_!" Sango called back, not leaving her station. "Just hold on, Kaede will be back soon."

As if to solidify her claim, there came a great clatter from the roof then sound of heavy feet running their way. Within seconds, the door was slid back, showering the room in light. Two silhouettes stood for a moment taking in the scene, one tall and lean with long billowing hair the other short and squat. Kaede stepped quickly into the room and began to assess the situation.

"Miroku, go and get one of the older maids to take your place. This is not the place for a man. After you have gotten the maid, you must set up a spiritual barrier." She croaked gruffly. "InuYasha, I need you to go and get more rags, and some drinking water."

As the two men rushed off to their respective choirs, Kaede shooed Sango away from between Kagome's legs and set to work. She dug through her large bag and took out several sharp smelling herbs then passed them to Sango.

"Ground those up together into a fine powder and add the drinking water to it. It will help to stop the bleeding and also calm Kagome enough for me to work efficiently." Kaede said slowly.

"Will she be okay? Will the pup make it?" Sango asked as she set to work.

"I can not say, but it does not bode well with me now." The old _miko_ sighed. "I _feel_ something is here, something evil is at work here, but I can do nothing about it."

Just as she finished, another wizened old woman entered the room and took up the task laid before her. InuYasha came in shortly after with rags and a pot of cold drinking water. Though he put up quite a fight, Kaede finally convinced him to leave and take up a guard position not far away. Sango administered the drink to Kagome and then set to making a poultice under Kaede's instructions. The warm paste was spread over the ailing mother to be, effectively slowing the bleeding.

Kagome swiftly began to drift in and out of consciousness, whispering inane phrases, and quivering in the throes of fever and contractions. For what seemed like days, the three women worked in relative silence, trying to clean up the blood, keep Kagome calm, and get the pup out of the womb. It was during the darkest hour of the night, three hours from dawn, that Kaede announced what needed to be done. With heavy eyes, she searched over Kagome's body, thoroughly checking her still swollen stomach.

"The baby is not going to come on its own anytime soon." She announced. "I will have to physically take it out myself."

Sango winced but nodded sadly. "Will she be asleep for this?" She asked in concern.

"No." Kaede stated matter-of-factly. "She will be fully awake by then, and I dare not give her any more of the herbs."

So Kaede began to prepare a poultice to heal the tearing, thoroughly washed her hands in hot water and bade Sango to press on Kagome's womb. "You must press the baby towards the channel. If it works, the less time I have to be inside her."

"And if it doesn't work?" Sango queried. "If the pup doesn't respond?"

"Then we must hope for the best."

Kaede knelt down in front of Kagome and took a deep breath before she began. Even before she had gotten very far, Kagome began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered, sweat began to soak her forehead, and she started calling out names of her family and friends.

"Sango…?" She called. "Sango?"

"I'm here, Kagome." The demon slayer replied taking one of Kagome's hands in her own. She was shocked at how hot the young woman was to touch. "What is it? What do you need?"

"Inu…Yasha…" Kagome breathed weakly. "Get… Inu…Yasha."

Sango looked helplessly to Kaede, searching for words or what she should do. Kaede paused in her work then nodded slowly, in an almost death-like manner. Sango felt a cold sweat beginning to soak the back of her white and pink striped _kimono._ She rose slowly and made her way to the door. Just outside and to the right sat Miroku in an Indian fashion, his hands raised in a prayerful manner, warding away any _mononoke _or_ youkai_ that might wish to attack. Not far to his right, InuYasha paced anxiously back and forth, Shippou following behind him in a similar fashion. Had the circumstances been different, Sango might very well have found it humourous, but not now. Not with so much at stake.

When InuYasha saw Sango step out of the room, he stooped his pacing immediately and ran to confront the girl. Sango looked sadly at him and then stepped aside, indicating that he was to enter the room. He did so quickly and straight off knelt down on Kagome's left side. The old maid, whose name just happened to be Nozomi, bowed slightly then rose to assist Kaede.

"InuYasha…"

"I'm here, Kagome, I'm right here." The _hanyou_ said as he took up one of Kagome's pale hands.

"I feel… so… weak." She breathed tiredly.

"It will be over soon, child." Kaede informed from her seat. "Now, InuYasha, you must keep Kagome still. If she moves took much, I could do terrible damage." The wizened woman warned.

InuYasha nodded grimly and placed his left arm over Kagome's shoulders, effectively pinning her to the hardwood wall. He braced himself when he felt her shifting uncomfortably beneath his hand. She continued to move but not as violently as he had thought she would, so he took the time to assess the room, and the situation with his child. The iron tang of blood and birth fluids, the salty smell of sweat, and the sharp scent of healing herbs assaulted his nose, making his eyes water at the intensity. He could tell Kagome was near the end of her strength, and that the pup was not faring well. He could barely make out the heartbeat, slow and scarcely audible.

"Alright, InuYasha, keep her still," Kaede instructed, "I have a hold on the baby. Sango, be ready to take it once I have cut the cord."

Then Kaede began to extract the tiny being. Now Kagome began to earnestly struggle. She began to whimper and then finally cry out as the baby was pulled through the birth channel; it was all InuYasha could do to hold her back. Her growing cries soon had his delicate white ears plastered to his head and make the humans in the room wince. Kaede inhaled sharply and frowned sourly when Kagome shifted her hips violently to the left, trying to get away from the pain.

"Nozomi, hold her hips in place!" Kaede barked. "She is going to kill herself shifting like that!"

Finally, Kaede could see the pup's head and pulled as quickly as she dared. Within minutes, the tiny thing was out and resting in the _miko's_ wrinkled hands. It was fully formed, like a baby of full term, but far smaller. The girl could not have weighed in at more than three pounds. But Kaede could not spend much time thinking about it, so she quickly severed the cord that attached mother to child then entrusted the baby to Sango's care while she continued her work of passing the after birth.

Dread seeped through Sango as she took Nozomi in her arms. The tiny thing did not move, let alone cry out as any normal newborn does. "She's not moving, Kaede!" she called frantically.

"Slap her!" Kaede replied loudly, too loudly.

InuYasha heard their discussion and felt absolutely sick. He could not make out a heartbeat and all he could smell was death. It hung over the room like the fog that had covered the grounds the night before. To his right, Kagome slumped back, completely spent from so many hours of child birthing. Kaede rose from her work and gazed sadly at the _hanyou's_ drooping form. Sango had not succeeded; the infant was pronounced a stillborn.

"Let me see her." InuYasha said quietly.

"InuYasha, she's-" Sango started.

"I don't care! Give me the pup!" He barked angrily.

Sango nodded sadly as she washed and wrapped Nozomi tightly in a thick blanket. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she handed the tiny parcel over to its father. Kagome started to revive then and stretched out her arms for her child. InuYasha shook his head grimly, but Kagome kept her arms outstretched. When Nozomi was nestled close to her chest, sobs began to course through Kagome.

"We did all we could, Kagome. But…" Sango remorsefully informed her, "It was too late. She was already gone."

"No, not now." She wept. "No!"

Gently she caressed the newborn's tiny ears, mirror images of InuYasha's. They were still folded tightly to her black haired head. Her face was so serene; she seemed only to be sleeping, as though gentle coaching would wake her. But no amount of noise, quiet or otherwise, would bring her back. So Kagome continued to weep for her lost child, for the things she would never be able to do, for the hopes and dreams that had been shattered in one day's time.

As she cried, InuYasha rose and walked stiffly out. Completely ignoring the calls of Miroku and Shippou, he stalked out to the furthest corner of the compound. Stopping in front of the Bone Eater's Well, he bent and gripped the walls tightly, his claws digging deep holes in the ancient wood. All around him, the snow continued to fall, coating the world, and his shoulders, in a white powder. Finally, he could hold back no more. His shoulders began shake, the tears slowly that trailed down his cheeks and fell were turned to ice before they even hit the ground.

"Why?" He asked. "Why Nozomi? She didn't do anything!" InuYasha's voice swiftly turned from mournful crying to enraged shouting. "What did she do wrong?" He shouted, shaking his fist angrily at its clouded expanse. "Kouga, she was an innocent pup! May the _kami_ protect you, cause I sure as _**(bleep!)**_ ain't. I swear, Kouga, I'll track you down and kill you for this! You worthless wolf!"

At this point, InuYasha fell to his knees, buried his face in his hands, and cried with all the strength he had left. The snow continued to fall, oblivious to the goings on on earth. As he lifted his head to the heavens one last time, he stretched out his hands in question.

"What do you want from me? Why did you take her? What did she do wrong?" He asked.

His question was greeted with silence. Complete and utter silence.

**End of Chapter  
**

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**Translator:**

_**Sachi:**_ Joy.

_**Nozomi:**_ Hope.

_**Hapi:**_ Sleeveless coat made for young children and for drummers. Usually has a symbol on the back such as a dragon.

_**Hakama**_: Kimono pants worn by men only.

_**Tatami:**_ Thick, cushiony woven mats placed on the floor like pillows for the purpose sitting on.

_**Harikostu:**_ A large boomerang, Sango's weapon of choice.

_**Mononoke:**_ Vengeful spirits.

_**Hentai:**_ Pervert.

_**Tabi:**_ White socks made with a slot between the big toe and other toes to be worn with sandals. They are made from one piece of cloth, not woven.

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**To the reviewers: **YAYAY! _**Six**_ reviews on _one_ chapter! It's a record!** Inuyashafan**Glad you liked it, I tried very hard. I hope you liked this chapter too! Thanks for reviewing! **ShadowDragon: **Did you predict this one? I hope you enjoyed my little twist... if it can be called a twist... Anyway, thanks for reviewing again! Please click that button and do it for this chapter too! **T G Athena** Always themostfaithful of reviewers! Glad you liked the names, I had a hard time coming up with ones that I liked. Thanks for the compliments! Hope you liked this one just as much! **BlueStone Of 22 9er: **Thanks! Yeah, Sango's gonna be busy, but she's got four other people to help her! Please continue to review! **phlawere:** Hehe, thanks, I'm blushing! The names I chose will hopefully turn out to show their personalities... hopefully. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please please please review again! **sarah: **Thanks for reading. Please enjoy and review more!

**AaA**

**Last notes: **he he. I know, you hate me right now, doncha? Well, too bad. I've been planning this for the past three years and now it's finally out. _(Heaves BIG sigh_) Yay for me. Don't worry though, it's not the last chapter, there's still two more to go, along with a prologue. I'll do my best to get it all out before September is over. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, please, please, please, REVIEW! Press that little button and put in some feedback. Ta ta for now!


	9. Shattered Dreams and Mending Hearts

**Disclaimer: **Too bad… not mine. I'd have lots of fun with it if it were.

**Author's Notes: **Grrr. I HATE speakers. Never buy those cheapo computer speakers, go for the more expensive high name ones, otherwise you're in for some bad times. Anyway! Sorry the last chapter was depressing, it's just one chapter, but the title of the story is "_No _Such Thing…", and it is marked as a tragedy. All that said, there is hope on the way. But that's all I'm gonna tell you, you'll just have to find out for yourselves. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. When I began writing my story three years ago, this chapter was the one that got me going. A certain scene in it was what I started with and since then the rest has kinda fanned out from it. Okay, enjoy, and don't forget to REVIEW!

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**Last Chapter:** Two months has passed since Aiko and Kiyoshi's birth. Kagome's dreams are growing steadily worse, and the whole of Japan is in a political uproar. InuYasha pushes for Kagome to leave early, to which she agrees to leave one month earlier than they had planned. They decide to name their pup Nozomi, ironically. Kagome wakes one morning to find that she is living her nightmare, every bit as it is in her dreams. Through a long and dangerous struggle, the pup is born and pronounced a stillborn.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Shattered Dreams and Mending Hearts**

"InuYasha?" A gentle hand settled on the _hanyou's _freezing, snow covered shoulder.

InuYasha did nothing to respond. He simply continued to stare at the grey, aging wooden walls of the Bone Eater's Well. All around him, the snow was several inches thicker than he had remembered it being. His hands and feet were numb with the cold; his whole body was covered in a thin layer of ice that crackled when he moved his frozen limbs slightly. Off on the horizon the sun was just beginning to rise, its rays painting the pure white canvas with a blood red glow, very fitting for the circumstances. He was beyond caring though; his entire world had come crashing down on him in only one night.

"InuYasha, come inside and drink some tea." The voice said again. "You need to get out of the cold."

The young man pushed the hand on his shoulder off and stood up slowly. His joints groaned and creaked from the cold, his ears turned back against his head hiding from the cold wind. Without bothering to acknowledge the speaker he turned and walked stiffly towards his home. Behind him, he could hear that someone sigh heavily and then begin following after him. Numbly he stepped up onto the walkway and made his way towards the tearoom. As he passed one door though, he stopped. Behind that door he knew his Kagome lay despairing over their loss as he was. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For once in his life, his hands shook as they pulled back the door. As he stepped into the darkened room, the overpowering smell of death and depression rushed over him in a thick wave.

"Kagome?" He called into the dark.

His sensitive ears began to pick up someone quietly humming a calming but yet haunting tune. As his amber eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could see Kagome sitting on her futon gently rocking back and forth. She was holding a small bundle in her arms. She looked positively serene, completely happy with herself and the world the way it was at that moment. She smiled gently down at the little bundle, every now and then caressing it lovingly.

"She's been like that since you left." Someone informed him from behind. "She won't let anyone touch her or the pup."

"Sango, will she be okay?" InuYasha asked. He turned to look at the demon slayer behind him questioningly. He knew what the answer would be, but he wanted to ask anyway, hoping that he would be wrong.

"I don't know, InuYasha, I really don't." She admitted sadly. "I remember my mother telling me about this after Kohaku was born. She said that most of the time the woman gets over it as she realizes that there's more to live for."

InuYasha nodded his head slowly and took a good look at Sango. Securely strapped to her chest in a primitive sling, Kiyoshi slept peacefully, completely oblivious to the world. He had hoped with all his heart to see his own daughter held in just that way to Kagome's back or chest, to see her tiny face smiling at him with twinkling eyes. Before he could allow himself to cry he turned and knelt down next to Kagome.

"I'll be in the tearoom in a few minutes." He said quietly over his shoulder. Sango nodded and left the couple alone, being careful to shut the door behind her.

"Kagome?" InuYasha breathed as he reached out to brush a stray lock of jet-black hair behind her ear. She turned a smiling face upon him.

"She's beautiful, InuYasha. Isn't she? She's even got your ears." She bubbled happily. With her index finger, she rubbed the soft white fuzz of their daughter's dog-ear.

The _hanyou_ squeezed his eyes shut tight and bit his lip hard. "Kagome, she's…" He started. Kagome looked curiously into his eyes. "She's dead, Kagome. She died before she was born. We lost her." He finally managed to say.

"No… no she's not." Kagome replied quietly. She was rocking again. When she finished saying this she began to hum a haunting tune. "My momma used to sing this to me and Souta when we were babies." She said. She began humming again.

"Kagome, you have to let her go." InuYasha told her. "She's gone."

Kagome only shook her head and continued to rock back and forth and hum the same haunting tune over and over again. It was too much for InuYasha to handle. He rose from his seat and left the room as quickly as he could. He had to get away from it all. As if the devil was nipping incessantly at his heals, he made his way to the tearoom where he knew the rest of the group was waiting for him. Maybe they would be laughing and joking like old times, maybe they could help him get his mind off his stillborn child. When he reached the room he slid back the door and took it all in.

Sango sat near one the brass braziers with a blanket draped over her shoulders, most likely feeding the noisy Aiko. A few feet away, Miroku sat with Kiyoshi lying in front of him. Beaming with fatherly pride, Miroku made happy faces at his son that made the little infant coo cheerfully. Over on the far side of the room, Shippou lay on his stomach playing some sort of dice game with Kirara. When InuYasha entered though, everything stopped. Shippou sat up on his heels and stared at the man, Miroku straightened from his son and gazed up at the young _hanyou_, Sango turned her gaze from Kiyoshi's smiling face to the brooding face of their host. He sat down against the wall and folding his hands into his wide red sleeves.

"I take it that you saw Kagome." Miroku inferred from his posture and his uneven breathing pattern.

InuYasha only nodded his head in reply.

"Her mind won't let her accept the death of Nozomi." The monk informed quietly as he lifted a cup of heated _sake_ to his lips. "I've seen it before many times. The later in term a mother loses her child, the harder it is for her mind to cope with the loss. In Kagome's case, she lost the child on the very day she should have been born. So she believes that Nozomi is still alive, just sleeping peacefully in her arms. It is not uncommon."

"Is there anyway to show her that the baby's dead?" Sango asked.

"Yes, but you have to be careful when you do." Miroku warned after taking another swig of _sake_. "If you take the body away just like that when she's awake, you run the risk of making Kagome go crazy and kill herself in grief. Well… actually, anyway you do it, there's always that risk."

"We have to bury her soon." InuYasha whispered, drawing everyone's gaze swiftly to him. "She needs a proper burial."

"Yes, she does." Sango conceded. "We need to get Nozomi away from Kagome, but she refuses to let go of her or even let her out of her sight."

"Maybe you could drug her into a deep sleep and while she's sleeping take the baby away and cremate her." Shippou suggested.

"That's a good idea," Miroku agreed, "But what do we tell Kagome when she wakes up to find Nozomi's gone?"

"Tell her the truth." InuYasha said simply. "I don't gloss over things like you do, Miroku. Kagome needs to be told the truth. She needs to snap outta that daze."

"I know, but if you do it the wrong way you could lose Kagome too. And if that happens, what will you do, InuYasha?" Miroku chided the _hanyou_ harshly "Think about it InuYasha, you've lost your child but Kagome has lost a part of herself. That pup was growing inside Kagome; she could feel everything that Nozomi did. She shared a deeper connection with the baby than you did or ever would. Don't you narrow your eyes at me! You have lost something too, and you have every right to grieve and then be done, but don't tell Kagome to get over it so quickly!"

"Then what do you suggest we do, Miroku?" InuYasha growled angrily.

"We'll do what Shippou suggested." Miroku decided. "We'll drug Kagome then take the body away to cremate it at the temple. Once that's done, we'll bury her ashes somewhere here on the property. Does that suit you well enough, InuYasha?"

"Keh."

"Then it's settled." Sango said sadly.

"I'll go and get the herbs from Kaede." Shippou offered. When no one gainsaid him, he hopped up from his seat and took off running.

**AaA**

The light was creeping away from them. Darkness spread a thick blanket over the group as they made their way to Kagome's room. The tensions between them were almost tangible as they walked in a single file line. At the head, InuYasha walked stiffly, a deep bowl held in one hand, behind him Miroku ambled quietly with his tiny son strapped to his back securely, and behind him, bringing up the rear, walked Sango. Aiko was strapped, like her brother, to her mother's back and sleeping soundly. Shippou and Kirara had opted to stay behind in the _kitsune's_ room. Ever since the fateful night, Shippou had refused to get anywhere close to Kagome's room, let alone enter; her grief was far too much for him to stomach.

As the solemn procession finally reached the darkened room, a sprightly breeze rushed through the courtyard and picked up their hair and loose clothing, tugging it playfully to come join it's journey. InuYasha swallowed loudly and shut his eyes as tightly as he could. How he longed to reverse time, to go back to the day when he had fought Kouga. He wanted to plunge his Tessaiga deep into his chest, kill him on the spot, but something had stayed his hand. Now, his child had paid for his mistake, paid dearly.

"InuYasha…" Miroku cleared his throat behind the _hanyou_, "It's time."

InuYasha nodded wordlessly and pulled back the sliding door. A gush of warm air escaped quickly from the room. Each of the three covered their noses with disgust as it waved passed them. Floating on that wind was the scent of death, depression, sweat, blood, even a little bit of birth fluid still. There was no turning back though; they had to finish what they had started. So, with a deep breath, InuYasha stepped into the room and let his eyes adjust to the light before he knelt down next to Kagome. She was still rocking back and forth the way she had been, still hummed that same haunting lullaby, still had her daughter tightly held to her chest.

"Kagome…" InuYasha said thickly, "Kagome, you have to drink this. It'll help heal you faster."

Suddenly InuYasha felt his arms weighing him down, his limbs felt like lead weights. When Kagome nodded slightly it was all he could do to pass the bowl of liquid to his dazed wife. With her free hand, she took it and lifted it gingerly to her lips. As she tipped its contents into her mouth and swallowed, InuYasha felt heat rising to his ears. His heart hammered loudly in his chest, threatening to burst out at any second. He sat there tapping a clawed finger nervously against the hilt of his _katana_ as he waited for Kagome to drift to sleep.

"I'm so tired, InuYasha." She whispered quietly. "Inu…Yasha… what's… going on?" She slurred drunkenly as the potion took hold of her.

"Go to sleep, Kagome." He soothed. "When you wake up, everything will be better. I promise." He said as he glanced nervously at the door.

"Inu…Yasha… What's… wrong?" She murmured.

Finally the bowl slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor with a dull thud. Her brown eyes clouded over and her lids sank heavily towards her cheeks. Her whole body sagged as the potion did its work, her heartbeat slowing to a gentle sleeping rate. When her breathing evened out completely, InuYasha reached out and took the tiny bundle she held. Even in sleep, her grip on Nozomi was strong. He set Nozomi's body gently down beside him and then addressed his wife. He pushed aside the soiled blankets and laid her down fully so that her head rested peacefully on her pillow. He pulled a clean blanket out of the closet and placed it over her. When she seemed to be adequately laid to rest, InuYasha stroked her cheek lovingly.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome." He whispered as he kissed her forehead tenderly.

"InuYasha, we need to go now." Miroku called from the door.

"I'm comin'!" InuYasha growled in reply. "Unlike you, I'm burying a child here and deceiving my wife to do it! Give me a _**(bleep!)**_ minute!"

He took one last look at his sleeping mate before lifting his daughter into his arms and rising from the floor. With a heavy heart he turned and exited the room. Outside in the fresh night air Miroku and Sango awaited him. As he closed the door behind him, Miroku turned and began to walk towards the gate, and Sango turned quickly to follow after him. InuYasha took up the path as well, but haltingly. Before he could register a change in the scenery, he was standing in front of a large Shinto shrine not far from their home. The couple waited patiently for him at the base of the stairs that led into its silent depths.

"I talked to the head priest earlier." Miroku informed them. "He said he would wait until we had come with the body before he left. He will cremate Nozomi properly so that her soul can be at peace."

"How long will it take?" Sango asked. "How long will it take for her to be fully cremated?"

"Longer than you think it should." Miroku sighed. "It might take two hours or more. It all depends on how hot the flames are."

Above them, at the top of the stairs, the darkness stirred. A dark figure appeared holding a tall staff at its right. Silently it began to descend the steps towards the trio. "Greetings." It called in a deep voice. The man was tall and straight built with a bald head. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown that shone with understanding gained with many years of trial. His deep purple robes swished quietly as he walked towards them.

"Yasuo-dono." Miroku bowed deeply in respect. "We have brought the child."

"I can see that." The priest said blandly as his gaze rested on the somber man holding his stillborn baby. "Times are indeed hard when one must see his own child buried before himself. May peace find you before too much time passes."

"Let's just get this over with." InuYasha growled irritably.

"Certainly," Yasuo bowed in apology and beckoned them to follow, "Right this way."

He led them deep into the shrine, past many looming statues of peaceful gods and goddesses. Around many of the pillars, incense swirled up into the night skies taking the prayers of faithful believers to any ears that would hear them. When it seemed as though they could go no further, Yasuo pushed aside a heavy wooden door and motioned for them to enter first. When they had all filed into the warm room, he shut the door behind them, walked to the end of the room, and opened a small hatch.

"We will place her body into a small metal box and then set it inside this oven." He said quietly. "When she has been in there for two hours or however long it will take, I will take her out and offer up as many prayers as I can to the spirits that she pass quickly and without hindrance to the next world. Now, please put her into that box over there on your right."

InuYasha could not stop the tears that welled up in his eyes as he knelt down next to the small metal coffin. Several crystalline droplets fell to darken Nozomi's silken wrappings as he laid her gently down into the box. When it seemed as though InuYasha could do no more, Sango lifted the box away from him and handed it to Yasuo to take care of. The priest did not bother to put a lid on it but simply pushed it into the glowing cavern and shut the hatch tightly. He turned his gaze upon the group and nodded slightly that it had begun. Sango had taken Aiko off her back and now held her tightly to her chest, letting her warm tears fall down her creamy cheeks and splatter the front of her white and pink _kimono_. Miroku sat cross-legged on the floor with Kiyoshi resting peacefully in his lap. He held his right hand up in front of his face with his index and middle finger pointed towards the sky and his thumb holding the other fingers down, a prayerful position. He had taken this pose before when grave tidings had plagued the group, but that had been years ago. Off to the side in the darkest corner of the room, InuYasha sat with his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, brooding.

"I shall go and fetch some tea for you to drink as you wait." Yasuo bade as he exited the room slowly, his tall wooden staff tapping lightly on the floor as he walked out.

"InuYasha," Miroku called once the priest had had left them, "Do you want to go back to the estates and rest? Sango and I can wait here for the ceremony to be held, you've done so much for us it would only be fair."

"What are you talkin' about, _baka_?" The _hanyou_ growled. "There ain't any way I'm leaving here without Nozomi's ashes! Just shut up and give it a rest, would ya?" He grumbled.

Just then, from the depths of her swaddling clothes, Aiko began to mew for her mother's milk. Sango quickly set about feeding her with as much dignity as she could by draping a blanket over her shoulders. Hearing his sister's malcontented state, Kiyoshi followed suit with his own whimpering mewl, though it was not as loud. Sango sighed heavily and reached out for her whimpering son. When Miroku had handed him over, Sango put him on her lap and adjusted her _kimono_ for a double feeding then gently raised him to suckle as well. She would tire soon with both arms holding an infant to her breasts but she did not utter even the smallest complaint; she merely took it as her lot and made the best of it.

Off in his dark corner, InuYasha could not help but sadden at the sound of the crying babies. He had longed for the sound of children since Kagome and he had married over a year before. He could still remember their wedding ceremony as though it had only been a day before. Kagome had donned the most beautiful traditional white wedding _kimono_ with her hair done up like a beautiful _geisha_. When they had shared the cup of _sake_, he could have fainted with joy. That day had long since passed though, and things were not as happy and carefree as they had been then. He could only hope that there would be another chance to create a new life and start over. If Kagome did get pregnant again, he would be sure to tell her as soon as he knew and send her straight way back to her time. He did not even want to chance her being in the feudal era for more than two months of pregnancy, not when Kouga still lurked somewhere nearby.

"I hope Shippou is doing okay." Sango said lightly, trying to make conversation.

"He'll be fine." Miroku assured her. "With Kirara at his side to help him guard Kagome, there is no possible way he could be bored or unsafe."

"I guess you're right. Don't you think so, InuYasha?" Sango asked.

"Keh."

"Don't bother with him, Sango my love. Just let him sit in peace and mull over the events of the past days. I'm sure it's the best we can do for him right now. I know I certainly would not be a very happy person if I had lost my first child before I could even know them properly and my love went into a shock because of it." Miroku conceded.

"You're actin' as if nothin' happened!" InuYasha snapped angrily.

"Not so!" Miroku countered. "I was merely putting things into perspective. If the roles were switched, I assure you that I would be the same way." He explained hurriedly, not wanting to call down the wrath of the angry _hanyou_.

Much to the relief of the _houshi _and his wife, just as he had finished, a young acolyte entered the room with tea and cups for them, thus forestalling InuYasha's ire from rising any further. The boy set a tray and cup before each member of the group and poured them some of the steaming hot liquid. When he had finished, he exited quickly, frightened by InuYasha's angry visage. So, in silence the group sipped on their tea as the fire blazed in the crematorium and snow fell continually outside.

**AaA**

"One of the trainees has carved a small headstone for you." Yasuo said as he handed a heavy package to InuYasha.

The group now stood in front of the shrine, ankle deep in snow and laden with two sleeping babes and a small, unremarkable earthen jar full of ashes. On the distant horizon the sun had already begun to rise, turning the cloudy skies and white landscape into a bright fresco of deep red and orange. Winter birds started to stir in their nests, singing out good mornings to the coming day. For all the brightness and cheer of the world around them, the group was as somber and weary as could be, for good reason.

"Thank you for your help." InuYasha murmured as he took the package in his free hand. "Come on, Miroku, let's get back to the estates and bury these ashes before Kagome wakes up." He said quietly as he started walking away glumly.

"I hope we can meet again under better circumstances, Sango-sama, Miroku-sama." Yasuo said in parting, gently laying a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Yes, I'm sure." Miroku replied with a slight bow. "Come, my dear Sango. We have a burial to attend and young mother to address. Not to mention the fact that my stomach and head are telling me that I need good food and a long rest after the trials of this night."

Sango chuckled as she followed after her husband. A few minutes ahead of them, just within sight, InuYasha walked alone. His bright red _haori_ were hard to miss even though the rest of him blended in quite well. It was quite a regal scene when Sango took it all in. With the way the morning breeze blew InuYasha's silver hair playfully, the long, even strides he took, even the way he stood and looked back at them, waiting for the two catch up. It seemed to the young demon slayer that he had aged considerably in only a few days. For once he appeared truly weary and very human. The mischievous glint in his amber eyes had gone the way of the summer flowers, leaving behind a very lonely glaze. Once they had reached him again, he continued his long gait homeward.

"InuYasha?" Sango queried. "Where shall we lay her to rest?"

There was a long, awkward pause as he mulled the question over in his head. "Beneath _Goshimboku_." He said finally, referring to the large tree to which Kikyou had pinned him over fifty-four years ago. It seemed a fitting place to him, a place full of memories happy and sad alike. "Yeah, Goshimboku is where she'll stay."

"A good resting place if ever there was one." Miroku agreed. "The wood of that tree has some sort of spiritual power that none of us can fathom, I'm quite sure of it. I can clearly remember Kagome telling us of the time when she thought she had killed you and fled back to the modern era. She said that she could hear you speaking to her through the tree and through time itself! That simply amazes me!" Miroku awed.

InuYasha only nodded silently. He had no desire to discuss the past, even if it was mostly happy. Rather, they walked in complete silence until the tall wooden gates of the Tessaiga home looming above them. The _hanyou_ pounded heavily on the gate and stepped back when the lone guard, the only one the couple kept, rushed to unbar and open the heavy gateway.

The three filed in completely sidestepping the house and instead went straight way towards the giant tree that lay on the far side of the compound. There, to the left side of the thick trunk, they dug a deep hole and laid the earthen jar of ashes on the ground. Miroku erected the little headstone, which simply read "Tessaiga Nozomi, first daughter of Tessaiga InuYasha." When the proper prayers and offerings had been offered up to the gods of the netherworld for safe passage, Sango and Miroku departed to bathe, eat, and rest, leaving behind InuYasha to sit in silence and contemplate the future.

"I'm sorry, Nozomi." InuYasha whispered to the fleeing wind. "I let you down before you even knew me. I swear I'll avenge you though. I'll track down that _**(bleep!)**_ing wolf and make him pay for what he did to us, to you." His clawed hands clenched down on the white snow at the base of the tree, turning it into tightly packed ice balls.

With one last prayerful bow he rose and greeted the coming down with a tighten jaw. There was a renewed sparkle in his amber eyes, a determined carriage in his gait. As he stepped onto the walkway across from Kagome's room, the sun peaked in full power over the high walls right behind him _**(IB:**__I have no idea where the west is in relation to their home)_ and lit him up like an angel. The wind picked up just as Kagome's door slid aside to reveal the young woman gripping the frame with one hand and holding her blanket tightly around her. When her eyes landed on the glowing silhouette of her husband, a single tear trailed down her cheek and her neck refused to hold her head upright any longer.

"She's gone, isn't she?" Kagome said rather than asked. "She'd dead."

In reply, InuYasha gathered his young wife up into his arms and held her tightly. He rested his chin on the top her black haired head and sighed. "She's buried beneath Goshimboku."

Kagome nodded into his chest slowly. "I'll go to see her tonight. I'm too weak to walk still." She murmured as she pulled away from him and disappeared back into the birthing room. "Please let me be here alone for now." She begged as InuYasha began to walk into the room after her. "I'm not ready to be with anyone right now."

"Kagome-" InuYasha started.

"Please, InuYasha." Kagome whispered with her back still turned to him.

InuYasha nodded sadly and left the room, careful to shut the door tight behind him. Once he had gone, Kagome's legs gave out from under her, causing her to collapse weakly onto the futon. The tears she longed to shed refused to leave their reservoirs; the sobs she knew she needed to be rid of would not come, so she sat in complete silence. Her mind worked a mile a minute but her body was frozen in time.

Outside, when InuYasha heard Kagome collapse, he stopped and turned for the door but stopped himself before he could open it. She needed her time alone to think about the death of her child. He could not interfere with that. The best thing he could do for her was let her be, just go on with life until she was ready for his love and care. So he turned back around and headed with heavy feet towards the rest of the house. He would bathe, it had been a while since he had done that, and perhaps it would clear his mind. After that, he would get the cook to prepare some ramen noodles to appease his growling stomach.

**AaA**

Nighttime quickly settled back over the land and when it did, it found Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and InuYasha sitting in the dining room quietly eating ramen. Occasionally they would laughingly tease each other about something they had said or done in the past, just to keep the mood light. They did all they could to stay away from the subject of Kagome and the baby that lie buried beneath the God Tree. Finally, after he had finished two cups of noodles in sheer anxiety, InuYasha rose and grabbed a bowl of still warm noodles.

"InuYasha," Shippou looked up curiously from his first bowl, "What are you doing?"

InuYasha paused for a moment on the threshold of the door. "I'm… I'm going to take Kagome some food. She hasn't eaten since yesterday or…" He stopped himself from saying that she had not eaten since before Nozomi's birth.

"InuYasha, you know she needs to be alone." Miroku sighed, setting down his chopsticks.

"I'm her _**(bleep!)**_ mate and husband! She needs me whether she knows it or not!" He growled. Seeing that no one dared to stop him, he turned and exited the room quickly.

He walked down the walkways with the Styrofoam cup of instant noodles steaming in the cold winter cool. Around him the wind had picked up slightly, bringing with it the hints of another snowfall. Inches upon inches of snow already lay thick in even the most covered areas, the ponds covered over with a thick layer of ice. Through his fogging breath, InuYasha could make out the door behind which Kagome had barricaded herself. His heart ground to a halt when he saw that the sliding door was ajar, snow blown a few inches into the room.

He rushed into the darkened room and waited as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. When they had, all he could make out was the rumpled covers over the futon, a few neglected bowls of salve and broth, but no Kagome. "Kagome?" He called out, dropping the cup of noodles on the floor.

The warm contents of the soup splattered across the floor, sending noodles and rehydrated vegetables far and wide, but InuYasha did not notice. He was too busy looking for his wife that had somehow disappeared into thin air. He lifted his sensitive nose into the air and took a long pull on the cold winds. Her scent was there, though barely. He then plunged down to the floor and pressed his snout to the floor, picking up even the slightest of scents. As he neared the door, he could make out her scent more acutely. She was headed towards the gardens.

**AaA**

Kagome wrapped her soiled _kimono_ tightly around her and grabbed a blanket to fight off the chill. Her hands shaking violently from the cold and from fear, she pushed aside the door and stepped out into the wintry night. Taking a deep breath of the crisp air, she set out towards the gardens on the west side of their lot. Suddenly the walkway gave way to inches of snow, the end of the house gave way to open land. Tightly gripping the side of the house with one hand, Kagome stepped down into the deep snow with her left foot. Somehow her right foot slipped from its perch as she stepped out and sent Kagome down on hands and knees, the snow crunching loudly at her fall. For a second she stayed there staring at the pile of white below her before finally managing to get back up.

Her breath was clearly visible as she set out yet again towards the God Tree, the place where her baby had been buried that morning. Behind her she left a trail that could be easily followed by even the most blind of people. She stumbled constantly, her body tired quickly, making the walk harder and longer than she had first hoped. Now and then her bare feet would find a rock under the snow and pitch her foreword, most of the time onto her hands. By the time she finally reached _Goshimboku_, her entire was numb from the cold, the blanket she had grabbed was wet, and she ached all over from the journey. When she spotted the tiny little tombstone, she rushed towards it and dropped to her knees two feet in front of it.

"I'm so sorry, Nozomi." She whispered. "It's all my fault. I should have listened to your father and stayed back in the modern era. If only I hadn't been so stupid, you might still be here with us!" Her hands clenched tightly on her lap, turning her already pale knuckles even whiter.

"It's not your fault, Kagome." A voice said quietly from behind her.

Kagome turned quickly to see her husband standing a few feet away. His hands where folded deep into his red _haori _sleeves, his ears folded back against his skull. He looked sadly down at her with something that looked like tears brimming under his amber eyes.

"It _is_ my fault, InuYasha!" Kagome said, the beginnings of a sob evident in her cadence. "If I had listened to you we wouldn't even be in this situation!" She finished burying her face in her hands.

A firm landed on her shoulder. "Kagome, listen to me," InuYasha ordered, "Nozomi was cursed to die long before she was actually born."

Kagome turned surprised eyes upon him, not wanting to believe that her daughter would have died no matter what. "What do you mean? She was innocent! She was our daughter, InuYasha! Why would you say a thing like that?" Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Because it's true, no matter what you or I say about it." He replied. "Kagome, the dreams you had were visions. When Kouga came here all those months ago, he came to claim you as his own. When he found out that he couldn't, he cursed the baby. Just like me, he could smell her before you knew about it, and he couldn't bear the thought that you were going to have my pup. So, to strike the deepest blow to me, he cursed Nozomi and ran off before I could do anything. That's why I wanted you to stay in the modern era. When you argued I should have just stayed my ground but I couldn't."

Kagome shook her head slowly in denial. It could not be true; her friend of so many years had cursed _her_ baby! He had been the cause of this. "Why?" She asked weakly.

"I told you! He couldn't stand the thought that the 'mutt' that he hated so much had sired a pup with the woman he loved, or, to be more precise, stalked. Any pup that I sire with you would be, to him, a mistake, an abomination."

"Why didn't you tell me this before now?" She asked through sobs.

InuYasha sighed dejectedly. "I didn't want to worry you. I thought that if I just ignored it, the curse would go away. I should have told you, I know that now. But we can't dwell on that anymore! Kagome, we need to move on. I made a huge mistake in not telling you, in letting Kouga live, in letting you come back her. I'm sorry, because this is all my fault. Please, forgive me?"

Kagome shook her hanging head again and looked up at the cold granite headstone. "No, InuYasha. This is both our faults. I should be asking for your forgiveness too." She stood slowly and wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

InuYasha stood as well and began to untie his _haori_. Gingerly he rested it on her shaking shoulders and said, "It's cold out here, you should have grabbed something warmer. You humans are so weak."

That was all Kagome needed. She spun around and wrapped her arms tightly around InuYasha's well-muscled chest and sobbed brokenly for the first time. Without any hesitation, as he might have had when they had been searching for jewel shards, InuYasha wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and rested his cheek against the side of her head. As they stood there seeking comfort from the other, light snow began to fall around them, giving them a light dusting over their shoulders _**(IB: **__This is the scene that was inspired by one picture, the scene that drove me to write the whole story. If you wanna see it, just go to my profile and have a look, it's my profile picture. Just in case you wanted to know what it looks like._ When her sobbing seemed to have died down a bit, InuYasha pressed his lips against her ear.

"Don't worry, I'll be here with you. We'll just start over again. When you're ready, we'll try again." He whispered quietly into her ear, his warm breath sending shivers up and down her spine. "We lost one pup, but we will make it happen next time. We're stronger now, we know what to do."

Kagome nodded into his shoulder and replied, "Okay. But give me time."

InuYasha smiled warmly. "Of course. All the time in the world. And when you're ready for another try, we'll start over, in the modern era, away from Kouga." With that, InuYasha lifted Kagome up into his arms bridal style and walked back towards the warmth of the home they had made together.

**End of Chapter**

* * *

**Translator:**

_**Baka:**_ Stupid fool.

* * *

**To the reviewers: ****ShadowDragon:**Yeah, I would have to argee with you! We'll just have to see though... **Anime-Gurl-5489:**Thank you, thank you! **phlawere:** (laughs nervously) Well, I hope you can forgive me! It was sort of my plan to make people sad, but yeah... I'll shut up now... **brokenchaos: **Again, sorry to disappoint you. If you can just stick with me here, I promise you that some good will come! Shortly! **Leslie-ann:** Hey, no hard feeling here! No flames please. I will get to the point, and like I said at the first part of my chapter, it is a tragedy... hence the name. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter a little more. the next one will be much happier, no joke. Please don't hate me though... Please? **T G Athena: **Thank you for being faithful again, and also for not flaming on me... Keep with me a little longer, I'm almost done and things WILL look up. And that wraps it all up...

**AaA**

**Last notes: **I know that this chapter was a little dark to start off with, but it did get better there at the end, right? Well, anyway, sorry it took me so long to update this. We've been traveling a lot, so I haven't had time to upload it. I really hope you guys don't kill me, but please hang in there with me, I am getting somewhere with all this! Trust me! Ok, please review and tell me whatcha thought. THANKS!!!!


	10. Hopes Restored

**Disclaimer: **Nope… it ain't mine. Just the story and Aiko and Kiyoshi.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry this has taken me sooo long to update. There's an intimate scene with InuYasha and Kagome in here and I had a _really_ hard time writing it. All the other ones I wrote with my boyfriend in mind, but now that he's out of my life forever, I've hit a very dry well. I tried my best though, so just tell me what you thought of it. Anyway, it seems like more people are okay with the last chapter I put up. That's good! Yay. Nothing like a good shocker though. Just so you all know, I never planned on changing my story from what it already was, not even after all the flamers. You just have to hang in there with me to see how it'll end, which the end is VERY close now. As in, this is the last chapter… with chances of a prologue… maybe… If ya'll be nice to me! Hahaha! Anyway, on with the show!

**AaA**

**Last Chapter:** Kagome and InuYasha are both dealing with postpartum depression like a problem, with good reason. InuYasha and the Houshi family finally decided that they had to take the baby away from Kagome and cremate her to help her soul pass into the next world. When her body is burned, her ashes are then buried next to _Goshimboku._ Kagome comes out of hiding and finally has a good cry in front of the grave. InuYasha tells her about the curse and tells her it's time to move on. Kagome agrees and they head into the future hand in hand.

**AaA**

**Chapter 10: Hopes Restored**

The unseasonablely early and long winter continued into the better half of the new year. Near the end of February and early March, the snow finally let go of its death grip on the ancient Japan. Springtime flowers bloomed in wild splendour; butterflies and bright bumblebees flittered gracefully from each opened face to open face spreading the bright pollen. All the fruiting trees set out with untamed fervour in blooming to make up for the long hard winter. There was a great abundance of new life in the animal kingdom as well. Birds returned to the area and began to sing happy songs with their freshly hatched young. Everywhere rabbit mothers herded their bunnies _**(IB: **__That's what baby rabbits are called… neat, eh?_) into the warm sun for grazing. Does led their fawns into open meadows to snack on fresh grass. Around the freshly thawed ponds, ducklings and goslings followed their mothers in single file lines and pecked at the scads of tadpoles that scurried just below the surface.

In the Tessaiga household, things were changing too. Aiko and Kiyoshi discovered their tiny hands and were constantly waving them about, clenching and unclenching their chubby fingers, doing anything they could manage to move there newly found appendages. The house was almost always filled with their contented cooing and gurgles. Sango had lost the baby fat she had gained from her pregnancy and quickly started taking up demon slaying again. Of course, she only did this now and then; her infant children demanded much more attention from her now. It would be a long time before she could go back to the way she had been before their birth.

Kagome had changed too. If there was one thing that she had gained from her union with the _hanyou_ man she called husband it was the ability to heal much more quickly than before. Within two weeks of her miscarriage, she was back on track, completely healed. For any normal woman, it could take one month or more to heal completely from the ordeal. Her heart took a little longer to heal though.

It was on one of these beautiful crisp spring mornings that Miroku and Sango deemed it was time to take their leave after a full year of living with their old friends.

"Thank you both very much for your hospitality." Sango thanked InuYasha and Kagome warmly. "It's been nice to catch up for a while. It might be a while till we see each other again though. Miroku and I decided that since our home by the river is gone we should go ahead and rebuild my old village!"

"Sango-chan, that's absolutely wonderful! I'll have to come see you in a year or so to see how you're doing!" Kagome bubbled happily as she grabbed the demon slayer's lean hands.

Miroku set his hand gently on Sango's firm shoulder and said, "Sango dear, we need to go now. We have a long road ahead of us and our children are still very young, not to mention it's only been four months since you birthed them. It'll take a while to get back to strength you once had."

"Yes, I know. Go ahead, I'll meet you at the gate." Sango assured.

Miroku nodded and took up the lead rope on their pack mule. It was an old shaggy beast with droopy eyes and ears. He had bought the thing a week before in Kaede's village to carry the many belongings they had acquired in their year's stay. He had even rigged up two baby slings on one side of the saddle to lighten up Sango's load. So, with a sharp tug on the mule's bridle, he stepped out onto the path and made his way towards the gate. InuYasha quickly took leave of the women and followed after his best friend.

"_Houshi_, you had better take good care of those kids." He growled. "My pups are gonna need some friends when they get old enough."

"Of course, InuYasha." Miroku raised his eyebrow and smirked. "Plan on getting busy now that we're out of your hair?" He chuckled playfully as he nudged the _hanyou's _tense shoulder.

InuYasha felt his face go bright red, his temperature rising dangerously high. His fuzzy white dog-ears twitched uncontrollably at the final insinuating comment. "_**(bleep!)**_ it, Miroku get your mind outta the gutter!"

Miroku shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "I was only saying what your words were not. I know a thing or two. I am a lecher after all." He reminded him.

"Keh."

"You can expect to see a few more little Sangos and Mirokus the next time we meet, and I'll be the first one to admit it." Miroku teased, making the disgruntled _hanyou_ blush three shades darker.

Just then, InuYasha's salvation came in the form of a young woman running to catch up with the two of them, all the while waving to her best friend who stood on the porch several metres away. "Okay, let's get going, Miroku. The very thought of rebuilding my village is making me tingle."

"Not the thought of being alone with your husband again?" Miroku queried mischievously.

"Miroku!" Sango gasped as she slapped the back of his head. "Behave yourself! Well, I will see you again sometime soon, InuYasha. Take care of her, you hear me? Come Kirara." Sango slapped one hand on her thigh to call the tiny _nekomata_ to her.

"Don't worry, I ain't gonna let anything happen to Kagome. You got my word on that." InuYasha assured the two.

"Alright then. Goodbye for now." Miroku sighed and slapped the side of the mule to get it walking again.

Sango waved at them as the two humans walked out the giant gate and back into the outside world. Up on the verandah, Kagome gently rubbed the fluffy red hair that rested on her hip. Shippou was sad to see his old friends leaving again, even if he did have Kagome and InuYasha to keep him busy. He wrapped one arm around his surrogate mother's legs and sighed deeply.

"_Okaasan_?" He looked up at the young woman's sad face.

"Yes Shippou?" She answered.

"When are you gonna have another kid? I'd love to have someone to play with." He asked innocently.

Kagome breath hitched in her throat at the question. She swallowed thickly and looked up at InuYasha, who had also heard the question. "I don't know, Shippou." She answered frankly. "It could be a while. Besides, by the time the pup would be old enough to play with you, you'd probably be too old to want to play."

Shippou set his hands firmly on his hips and puffed out his chest. "Too old?! I'm a _kitsune!_ We're never too old to have fun with little kids!"

"That's cause you never grow up." InuYasha scoffed as he climbed the stairs to the landing. "You'll always be a big baby!"

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black! You're the biggest baby out there! You couldn't even fight well enough to save your life when Kagome wasn't there! And you know it!" The young boy pulled his nose up with his index finger, baiting InuYasha to outrage.

"You little punk! I'm gonna grind you to a bloody pulp!" InuYasha roared as he lunged forward towards the boy.

His clawed hands met nothing but smoke where Shippou had been only seconds before. His unfortunate nose took the brunt of the ruse; when there was no one there to stop his momentum he kept going, grinding his nose painfully into the wooden floor. Off to his left, he could hear childish laughter. Shippou stood in the safety of Kagome's shadow pointing at the poor _hanyou_ with tears of laughter rolling easily down his pink cheeks. Kagome could not in good humour keep a straight face and quickly followed suit when she saw the look on InuYasha's face.

"What the _**(bleep!)**_ are you guys laughing at?!" He growled angrily. He hated being the base of jokes.

"The… look on your… face!" Shippou managed to say through giggles. "It's priceless!" With that the young boy fell to the floor holding his stomach as he continued to howl with laughter.

"You little brat!" InuYasha lunged again, this time only missing by a hair's breadth.

Yet once again, Shippou was far too fast for the clumsy attacks of InuYasha. He simply disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared nearly fifteen feet away, a thumb poked into each pointy ear with his fingers wagging mischievously. It was all InuYasha could take and a chase was quickly issued, the _kitsune_ always a few inches to many out of InuYasha's clawed grasp. All through the house and over the gardens they ran shouting insults and taunts at the other, goading them on even further.

When she had wiped the last happy tear away from her glittering chocolate eyes Kagome sighed. "I guess things are back to normal." With a smile painted across her beautiful features, she turned and walked back into their humble abode.

**AaA**

"InuYasha?" Kagome called to her husband as she wiped the wet earth off her hands with a dishtowel.

To pass her time more productively than a pampered princess, Kagome had taken up the hobby of gardening. Anything that had roots she planted. There were herb and vegetable gardens outside the kitchen, _bara_ gardens along the path leading to their front porch, _sanshikisumire_ beds along every walkway that led around the garden.

"Shippou?" She called again.

She sat back on her heels, and peered around each side of the house, searching for her husband or adopted son. When she saw and heard no one, she went back to work digging up some pesky weeds that threatened to choke her precious petunias. She had stopped momentarily in her busy work when she had heard a thump from somewhere within the house, almost like someone had fallen or tripped. Yet when she had called and no one had replied she figured that she was only hearing things. She had been a mite jumpy lately anyway.

"Boo!"

Kagome's heart leapt up into her throat as she screamed loudly and spun to see her attacker. It was none other than the mischievous Shippou. As she sat there clutching her heart and panting he smiled smugly and crossed his arms over his chest in a self-satisfied manner. Once Kagome had managed to calm her racing heart and get her breathing back to normal she raised one eyebrow and cross her arms over her chest as well.

"Satisfied?" she asked.

"Most definitely." Shippou replied happily. "Oh, yeah, almost forgot. InuYasha sent me out here to get you. He said that lunch is ready… not that it'll be much; he cooked it himself." Shippou said and made a gagging face.

Kagome chuckled as she rose from her seat next to the flowerbeds. "I'm sure whatever InuYasha has prepared for us will at least be food for the belly, even if it doesn't taste that good going down." She said sagely as she started walking towards the dining room on the other side of the house.

"That's to say, if it even _stays_ down!" Shippou countered as he followed close behind her.

"Needless to say, Shippou, we will eat it without complaint. Right?" She looked down at the young boy in an almost reprimanding way.

Shippou sighed dejectedly and replied, "Yeah, whatever."

Just then InuYasha stepped out of the dining room with his hands stuffed into his wide red sleeves. Instead of demanding what had taken them so long, he simply smiled and gestured them inside. Kagome eyed him wearily and entered the room after taking off her sandals and washing her hands in a bowl near the entrance. Shippou did likewise, but not without stopping to stare straight up into the suspicious _hanyou's_ face. InuYasha refused to acknowledge him though; he kept his eyes locked on his young mate.

He watched lovingly as she knelt down in front of the low table and folded her hand neatly on her lap. Her thick black hair was swept up into a loose topknot with several locks plastered to her face and neck with sweat. Her skin had taken on a healthy glow from all her days in the gardens working, even her eyes looked healthier, their former sparkle finally returned. Her cheeks looked a little red from sun exposure, as did her lips, but in his eyes, that made her all the more beautiful. When he looked upon the young woman that sat there before him, his mind began to travel back when she had been a rather annoying teenage girl with too much to talk about. Now she was quieter, demure, though he knew that her fiery and talkative side was only an inch below the surface.

"InuYasha?" Kagome's lilting voice called to him, jogging him out of his thoughts. "Shippou said you made lunch… but I don't see anything on the table. Are we going to eat invisible food?" She asked teasingly.

"No." He answered simply. Kagome and Shippou looked at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation. "I was just gonna go get it before you two showed up. You sit down and I'll be right back."

He quickly dodged out of the room, leaving a very bewildered Kagome and Shippou in his wake. They looked at each other in puzzlement. When Kagome tilted her head slightly and furrowed her brow Shippou simply shrugged at her having no idea what had gotten a hold on their friend and mate. Within a matter of seconds though, Shippou took a deep pull on the air and his bright green eyes rolled back in their sockets, his tongue lolled out of his mouth in hunger. As the smell grew closer, Kagome caught the draft and felt her stomach begin to ache with hunger. InuYasha stepped into the room carrying a large tray laden with covered dishes and smiled proudly. He set down several large bowls in the centre of the table and then handed each one a bowl and set of chopsticks.

"Do you plan on poisoning us or something?" Shippou asked. "I don't believe you're the one responsible for all these yummy smells. What are you up to?" He asked curiously, eyeing the _hanyou _with more than a little suspicion.

That managed to rile the _hanyou_. "Just shuddup! I fixed this meal while you two were out doing whatever it was you were doing, so just back off!" He growled.

Kagome, ever the peacemaker, was quick to cool them. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful! So… what are we eating here?" She gestured towards the four covered bowls.

That was enough to get InuYasha's attentions turned away from the suspicious _kitsune_. He smiled widely as he lifted the lid to the closest dish. A great cloud of steam escaped. "This," InuYasha informed them, "Is _imoni._ My mother used to make for me when I was a kid, it was her specialty. This," He said as he lifted another lid, "Is _nikujaga_. And this is simple rice, with a little soy sauce and fried eggs." He lifted the final lid and let the smell waft around the room a bit before continuing. "This is _sashimi_ It was a delicacy in my father's palace when I was little."

"InuYasha!" Kagome exclaimed. "This is wonderful! How long did it take you to prepare all this? How did you do it? I'm so surprised!"

"All I'm gonna say is that you need to stop talking and eat." InuYasha said as he picked up her bowl and served her some of the soup first.

Shippou meanwhile sat mesmerized by the spread. In their times of traveling in search of the _Shikon no Tama_ and hunting down Naraku, all that InuYasha had ever fixed for them to eat was roasted fish. Stuck through with a spare stick and set to cook over a roasted fire, no herbs, definitely no sauces. It was not exactly a meal for champions, but at the time they could not complain. So, gingerly, Shippou picked up his bowl and set the rim against his lips. The smell that wafted into his nostrils could only be described as heavenly. As he tipped the bowl the contents spilled into his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, there was no stopping him; he ate until he popped.

Kagome ate more slowly, savouring the tastes on her palate. When she had finished, she set her chopsticks gently on her empty bowl and scooted over to where her husband sat watching her. "Thank you, InuYasha." She whispered.

"Anything to keep you happy." He said quietly.

Over on his side of the table, Shippou had made it his duty to clean out all the dishes and was doing a bang-up job of it. "Yeah, thanks! I never woulda thought you could fix a meal like this!" Shippou said through bites of rice.

InuYasha's eyebrow twitched but he simply replied, "You're welcome."

**AaA**

"Thank you again for lunch." Kagome said as she slipped her light green _kimono_ off her shoulders and deposited it on the coat rack.

"Just trying to keep you happy." InuYasha yawned as he laid back on the futon, resting the back of his head in his hands.

"Right." Kagome said suspiciously. "Just trying to keep me happy or trying to get me in bed?" She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What the _**(bleep!)**_ are you talking about, wench? Is it so bad for me to wanna make you happy?" He asked defensively.

"No, not at all. But I have a feeling you have ulterior motives here!" Kagome chuckled as she pulled on a nightshirt and shorts.

"Whatever, woman." He huffed and rolled over with his back to his mate.

Kagome smiled and snuggled into the warm futon. Outside the night was still cold with the fingers of spring still clinging tenaciously. She could feel InuYasha's rough exterior slowly melt as she moved closer to his back and gently wrapped her arms around him. When one stray hand found his white dog-ears, which swiveled constantly around, and began to rub gently, his resolve quickly fled like a frightened flock of birds. He rolled over and pulled Kagome tightly to him, pulling her under his body, or at least halfway under. She smiled wearily at him signaling that it was not the time for intimacy. He did not give up his position though but was satisfied to gaze down at her splendour.

"InuYasha…" Kagome whispered.

"Yeah, I'm right here." He replied.

"I want to go home. I haven't seen momma in almost a year. I'm sure she'll want to know about… Nozomi." She said quietly.

"Of course." He replied quickly. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Thank you so much, sweetheart." She murmured as she tugged slightly on his rosary beads.

With gladness he answered the pull by letting gravity pull him down towards Kagome's pink lips. In a tender kiss their lips met and quickly gave way to a deeper, more passionate kiss. His clawed hands roved up and down her sides, finding every pressure point he could recall. Likewise, Kagome's slender hands moved up and down his muscled back and occasionally tweaked his white ears affectionately. When InuYasha pulled the young woman a little further under him, Kagome broke their kiss and put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Not yet." She said.

InuYasha's whole body sagged, his ears drooping down in disappointment. He did not fight her though, it was she that would have to deal with the 'consequences' that might occur from their physical intimacy. So, with a bit of hesitation, InuYasha eased his body back down beside her's and pulled her into him. She smiled gently, knowing what he was suffering through, and laid her head against his chest. Within a matter of moments, the both of them had fallen in a deep and restful repose, not to wake until the sun had risen from its dark journey through the netherworlds.

**AaA**

"Okay, Shippou, we'll be gone for a while." Kagome informed the _kitsune_ boy as she grabbed a loose sweater and put it on.

"Yeah, I get it." Shippou replied. He took hold of his fluffy foxtail and began to smooth it gently. "I just don't know that I can take care of the house for that long, especially all by myself!"

"I'm sure you can do it just fine! You brave enough!" Kagome said cheerily. She grabbed her old yellow backpack and then said, "If we're gonna be gone for longer than a week, I'll come back to tell you. Then you can go and stay with Sango, Miroku, Aiko, and Kiyoshi! I'm sure they'd love to have you around!"

"Yeah, I guess so." He said rather glumly.

Kagome smiled sympathetically at him and took his little face in both hands. "I'm not abandoning you. I'll come back at some point!" She laid a gentle kiss on the _kitsune's_ forehead and rose to leave.

"_Okaasan!_" Shippou called as she pushed back the beaded curtains on the door. "I'll miss you! Make sure you bring me back some of the brown sweet stuff." He said as he wrapped his thin arms around her waist.

"Chocolate," She corrected, "And of course I'll bring you some. I'll bring treats for everyone! Now I really have to go." She hugged him tightly and then departed out of the house and towards the well.

As she exited an extremely thick belt of woods, she entered the clearing where the Bone Eater's Well stood. Standing with his hip resting on the ancient wall, InuYasha smiled when he saw Kagome emerge from the wood. Taking the heavy yellow pack on his back he wrapped one arm securely around her waist and braced himself for the leap into the well. With a powerful jump and plunge into the dark depths, they felt the power of the well swirling around them like water, so thick it was almost tangible. Yet, within a matter of seconds, the feeling was gone and once again they crouched on the bottom of the old shaft. The bright blue sky above them was gone, replaced by a dark wood ceiling covered with cobwebs and dust. Once again InuYasha leapt up to the ledge and gently set Kagome down on her feet.

As he got down from the ledge, Kagome raced towards the heavy wooden doors and shoved them aside. A light breeze rushed passed them and into the stuffy room. In front of them stretched the grounds of the family shrine. In the distance, Kagome could just make out her mother working in the garden. It was barely noon so Souta was not yet home from school. With a giggle of elation at the sight of her childhood home, Kagome sprung down the stairs and towards the house.

"Momma!" She shouted as she ran. "Momma! I'm back! I've come home!"

"Oh, Kagome my darling! I'm so glad to see you again!" Mae called back as she set aside her gardening tools and rose to meet her eldest child. "InuYasha! I see you've returned to us as well! Welcome home."

When they reached each other, Kagome wrapped her mother in a tight hug that lasted what seemed like forever. After InuYasha cleared his throat awkwardly, Mae pulled away from her daughter enough to look into her chocolate eyes. She smiled sadly.

"I know what happened while you were gone." She said solemnly. "The tombstone appeared while _Ojii-chan _was sweeping the snow away from around the tree. I'm so sorry Kagome. I know it must hurt terribly."

"Yes, mother it does hurt." Kagome agreed. "But that's why InuYasha and I came home. We want to start over in this era."

"I see. Well, there is a lot we have to catch up on so let's go inside and you can get settled into your old room while I fix some tea. How's that sound?" Mae asked cheerfully.

"Sounds good to me." InuYasha finally said. "Let's go."

As the three made their way steadily towards the house, Kagome told her mother of the curse that Kouga had placed on their child, or the dreams she had had, and finally, once they had sat down for tea, of how she had lost the baby. Though she had shed many tears while she told it, she had resigned herself to the fact that no amount of crying or wishing would bring her daughter back to her so she would have to move on.

"From what you would tell me about Kouga-kun, he didn't seem to be that kind of person." Mae said as she lifted her cup of tea to her lips and blew.

"I didn't think he was." Kagome admitted. "But I was wrong."

"Well, it's in the past now. You can rest easy here." Her mother said. She reached her hand across the kitchen table and patted her daughter's hand reassuringly.

Kagome smiled happily and took another sip from her teacup. "By the way, where's _Ojii-chan_?"

Mae's expression flashed from happy to sad in the blink of an eye. "Kagome, he had a heart attack a month ago. He's in the hospital now, but they don't know if he'll get better."

"I can't believe it." Kagome whispered as she set down her cup. "He was fine last time we were here."

"You know that if he passes away, he'll have no regrets." Mae said comfortingly. "He has lived a long and happy life. He is very content right now, though he wants to come home. He doesn't want us to be sad for him." She said. Obviously, the older woman had resigned to keep the matter out of her mind. Whatever happened to her father was what needed to happen.

"Enough of this sad talk." InuYasha growled as he walked into the room.

"What were you doing this whole time?" Kagome half turned in her seat to see the man that stood in the doorway.

"Watching the tel-i-veeshun." He said.

Mae chuckled lightly and got up from her seat to wash her cup out. "Well, I need to go get some groceries and pick Souta up from his friend's house. He goes there every day after school to study, or so I hope. Please make yourselves at home; it is your home after all. I should be back in an hour or so." She informed them as she hung the dishtowel up and grabbed her purse.

"Take your time." Kagome said.

"I guess if it's alright with your brother, we'll stop by the hospital to check on _Ojii chan._ Do you guys mind if we do that on our way back. I know he would certainly appreciate a visit." Mae stopped in the doorway, the door half open to the darkening skies.

"Sure, go ahead. Kagome will make some noodles for us to eat. We'll probably be in bed by the time you get back, it's been a long day." InuYasha said.

"Okay then. I'll be off. I'll tell _Ojii chan_ that you send your regards. I'll be back around eight." With that, Mae slipped on a pair of loafers and headed to the car. In a matter of minutes the engine had sprung to life and carried the car out of the shrine and down into the street. When the last sputtering was heard Kagome turned to InuYasha.

"I'll be making noodles, eh?" She smirked.

"Yeah, you gotta problem with that?" InuYasha growled as he scooted into one of the kitchen chairs.

"Not at all." Kagome shrugged. She got up out of her seat and started towards the sink but stopped when she spotted her grandfather's lunar calendar. "InuYasha, it's the full moon tonight."

"Yeah, don't think I didn't know it already. My hearing and sense of smell has already started to dull. You humans have it rough." He said as he slumped depressingly into his chair.

"Not really. I'm sure that there is a good reason we can't hear or smell as well as you do, not to mention the fact that our lives are so much shorter. One writer once said that it's because a human's life is so short that we love deeper, see things as far more beautiful, and treasure each passing day like it was our last. Everything is so much more vivid for us because we don't know what the next day will bring." _**(IB: **__Tolkien wrote that in concern to the lives of elves and men)._ Kagome remarked sagely as she sat back down.

"Keh."

"Well, whatever the case, you're gonna experience that tonight like you do every month. You'll just have to live with it."

"Don't you need to be making some ramen?" InuYasha growled, the irritation in his eyes as easy to see as a bright red apple sitting in a bone white bowl.

Kagome chuckled quietly to herself and rose from the table again. As she took down some bowls, filling a pot with water, and searched for some packets of ramen, InuYasha drummed the tabletop impatiently. He had always felt so vulnerable during this time, ever since he had been a small child running through the woods completely alone. He could remember the first time Kagome had seen him in this state. How weak he had felt then, but in all that, through all his human weakness, Kagome had stuck by his side and had even risked her life to save his. She had shed tears for him. Never, aside from his own mother, had anyone loved him thus. His deep amber eyes took on a fonder gleam as he watched the backside of his wife as she busied herself with his supper. What a gem she was in his crown.

"InuYasha?" Kagome queried. She stood leaning one slender hip against the counter and a pair of silver chopsticks poised in her right hand. From the look on her face, InuYasha knew she had guessed his thoughts. "InuYasha, are you alright?" She asked.

"Keh."

"That's not the answer I was looking for, and you know it!" She scolded him sternly.

"Well, it'll have to do cause you ain't getting any more outta me!" He growled agitatedly.

"Well, excuse me for caring what's on my husband and mate's mind! I'll just put up a cold uncaring façade from now on, how about that?" Kagome replied coolly. She turned her back to InuYasha once again and set about making his supper. From the way her arms moved from one place to another and the fact that she was making a lot of needless noise, it was a no-brainer that she was mad.

InuYasha rose from his seat at the table and walked up behind Kagome. He could feel her body tense up as he wrapped his arms around her. He gently rested his head on her shoulder and sigh. "You know I'm not blocking you out. There really is no need to know what I'm thinking though. Just get used to the fact that you can't know everything that one my mind. What's the fun in that?"

Kagome set her chopsticks down and rested her arms on the arms of her lover. Outside the sun had already begun to set; darkness had begun to encroach upon the humble shrine grounds. When she turned in InuYasha's arms to face him, his form had already changed. "I know. It just seems like sometimes you go back to the old days when I was nothing more than a shard detector."

"You were always more than that." InuYasha soothed her, his now warm chocolate eyes shining down into her. "Well… actually, for the first week you were nothing but a pest, I'd have to admit." He shrugged.

"InuYasha!" Kagome gasped and shoved the _hanyou_ away playfully. "I'm hurt."

"It seems like you stay that way." InuYasha mumbled under his breath.

"What was that, oh loving husband?" Kagome lifted a suspicious eyebrow towards the still mumbling man.

"Nothin'. Just finish those _**(bleep!)**_ noodles, would ya?" The whole caring face completely fled, one of hunger and slight annoyance taking a sharp hold.

Kagome shook her head lovingly at him and turned back to the stove. Opening two packs of the beloved instant noodles, she dropped the dry things into some boiling water and waited patiently for them to soften. Behind her, InuYasha had once again taken his seat and was now tapping the table impatiently with his shortened human nails. She could tell he was not pleased with the change, as he always was, but she knew that he was used to it and would let nature run her course. Taking up her solver chopsticks once again she tested the noodles and, finding they were sufficiently soft, poured in the flavouring packets. Within minutes, two bowls of steaming soup sat on the table before two very hungry humans.

Without ceremony or care, InuYasha took up his own set of chopsticks and shoved the food gladly into his mouth. He was halfway through with his portion before Kagome could even get up and retrieve the salt.

"Sheesh! You really should slow down when you eat!" Kagome grumbled. "You'll give yourself indigestion."

"In-dee-just-shun?" InuYasha asked through another mouthful of noodles.

"In-de-ges-tion." Kagome corrected him, her chopsticks poised in the air like a wand. "That's what happens when your stomach can't digest what you've eaten because you've eaten it so fast, or doesn't like what you've eaten. Either way, it's painful." She finished as she scooped up some noodles and gracefully pushed them passed her lips.

"Keh, whatever." InuYasha mumbled.

**AaA**

The rest of the night went slowly and without troubles. Mae and Souta returned shortly after the couple had finished their supper. InuYasha found himself entertaining the young boy once again by playing game after game of poker, and losing miserably. Kagome chatted for a little while with her mother about life in the feudal era, about Sango and Miroku's recently born children, and lastly about the growing Shippou. When she could no longer think of things to talk about, she relaxed in a hot bath with all the modern luxuries that her mother enjoyed everyday. InuYasha joined her shortly afterwards.

"I could get used to this stuff." InuYasha sighed as he laid back into the hot water.

"Well, we do have some of it at home. We have the hot water." Kagome said as she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair. Goosebumps ran up and down her body when a cold breeze rushed through the window and hit her skin. She hurriedly finished rinsing and returned to the comforting heat of the tub.

"Yeah, but it ain't as hot." InuYasha countered. "Either way, it's easier to let you wash up my hair like you do when the water's hotter. Just seems nicer that way."

"I'll remind you of that next time you don't want to come back to the modern era." Kagome smirked.

"Keh."

For several minutes, the two sat in the big steaming tub without saying a word, just reveling in the heat and comfort of modern Tokyo. Kagome was actually beginning to doze off when a very loud knocking started on the bathroom door.

"Hey! Kagome! Give me a turn in the bathroom, would ya? You been in there for a whole frickin' hour!" Souta's voice called through the door.

"Alright, alright! Keep your shirt on." Kagome replied.

She gently eased herself out of the hot water and onto the slippery wet floor. Once she had reached dry land she snatched three towels and threw one into the arms of the man that had also just gotten out of the warm bath. Working feverishly to get herself dried off and warm again, she did not notice her husband sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her before he had already done so. Tingles ran up and down her spine when she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck. His wet jet-black hair swung down off his shoulders and gently tickled against her lower back, making the shivers she already had intensified tenfold. Human hands rubbed across her exposed belly and up and down her sides, drawing a pleading moan from her lips. The heat that was building inside her became even greater when InuYasha decided he was not doing enough and began to nibble on the soft skin of her left ear. She turned around in his arms and let his lips search her own with a wild fervour.

"Kagome! I need to get a bath! Get the _**(bleep!)**_ outta there!" Souta yelled as he continued pounding the bathroom door.

"This isn't the place for this, InuYasha." Kagome muttered, the desire still thick in her voice.

A deep growl reverberated through his chest. "He's really gonna pay for this. Remind me when we're done to pummel that squirt into a freakin' bloody pulp."

Kagome smirked as she pulled away and began to wrap her towel tightly around her, saving her brother from seeing her naked body, though it didn't really matter. She could still remember the times they had bathed together as young children, when innocence was still a prime factor in youthness. Just as she reached for the door handle, she felt as though she had been lifted into the air. And so she had. InuYasha, even though his strength had been sapped by humanity, lifted her into his arms with ease.

"We ain't finished yet." He growled. He shoved open the door and stepped out into the hallway, right in front of Souta.

"Jeez! It's about time!" The younger boy said. "And for the _kami's_ sake, get a frickin' room would ya!" With that, Souta disappeared behind the heavy wooden door with a loud bang.

InuYasha paid no heed to the young Higurashi, instead all his attentions where focused on getting Kagome, towel and all, to their bedroom down the hallway. He of course had had the propriety of wrapping a towel around his waist, which spared Mrs. Higurashi some embarrassment when she spotted them as she came up the stairs. As for the two of them, there was nothing to be seen aside from each other. Kagome had wrapped her long arms around InuYasha's neck and rested her head against his very wet and warm chest. When the couple finally reached the bedroom, InuYasha swung the door open and then promptly slammed it shut again. Now the real fun began.

He gently set Kagome down on their bed and knelt down in front of her. Even when he was on his knees he could meet her eye to eye so it was not hard for him to plant hard kisses along her cheeks and jaw line. A lusty moan escaped Kagome's lips as she pulled the _hanyou_ a little closer to her, letting him wonder on down her neck and undo the tie on her towel. The damp terrycloth fell about her waist loosely, revealing the pale creamy skin that InuYasha longed to touch and kiss. With as much decorum as he could muster, he pushed Kagome back so that she lay the length of the bed, both their towels now laying completely forgotten on the floor, and positioned himself over her. For a moment he paused his steady assault of kisses and stared down at her. Her raven black haired fanned out over the bedcovers, her cheeks flushed red, her eyes wide open and sparkling with love. Her soft pink lips curved into a gentle smile as she tenderly pulled his head down and let her lips meet his in an innocent kiss.

While his _youkai_ side might have fallen at that point and given into the temptation, InuYasha's now dominate human side allowed for this gentler side of lovemaking, in fact, he savoured it most preciously. Of the whole process, he found this one to be the most intimate, when their hunger and desire could not overwhelm their simple yet strong love for each other. It would be many hours on into the night that they would finally tire of lovemaking and fall fast asleep in each other's arms. InuYasha's black hair mixed with Kagome's own, their arms locked in a lover's embrace that seemed never to break. And deep within Kagome's womb, a seed had taken root.

**The End**

**Translator:**

_**Houshi: **_Buddhist priest.

_**Nekomata: **_Two-tailed cat.

_**Okaasan: **_Mother.

_**Bara: **_Roses.

_**Sanshikisumire: **_Pansies.

_**Imoni:**_ A type of thick potato and meat soup.

_**Nikujaga: **_ A Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy, sometimes with vegetables. Thinly sliced beef is the most common meat used, although minced/ground beef is also popular. Pork is often used instead of beef in eastern Japan.

_**Sashimi:**_ Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafoods and served with only a dipping sauce (soy sauce with wasabi paste and thin-sliced ginger root or ponzu), and a simple garnish such as shiso and shredded daikon radish.

_**Ojii-chan: **_Grandfather.

_**Kami: **_Gods, both Shinto and Buddhist.

**AaA**

**To the reviewers: phlawere** HeheheI know what you mean. Well I tried very very hard to make this the best ended to tie everything up. Please do tell me if you liked it or not! Thanks for reviewing!!! **brokenchaos**Yeah, it would have been nice, but that's not what I had planned. But don't lose hope! If you review and say you want more, I have every intention of writing more, even a sequel (happier, of course)! **ShadowDragon:** Yeah, Kouga-kun is pretty darned bad. He's always been near the bottom of my list, which is why I made him the villian. Anyway, please do review and tell me what you thought and whether deem it good enough to continue!!!

**AaA**

**Last notes: **_**(deeeeeep sigh)**_ Well, I'm finally done with this story. Actually… I might do a prologue. Maybe. I have it all planned out, but I'm not sure this is popular enough to do that. Just tell me what ya think and I'll consider whether it's worth it or not. In the mean time, I might go back to POTH and see what kinda chapters I can roll outta that. Who knows? I've never actually finished any stories that I've started so this is new territory for me. Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed this story and thanks for all you who reviewed on it! You've been great! PLEASE REVIEW ON THIS CHAPTER!!!! BYE!!!


	11. Epilogue: Welcome to the World

**Disclaimer:**You get the point. Just think about it…

**Author's Notes:** I apologize profusely for my extended absence from this writing field. I found a new outlet for my imagination in the form of The Princess and Curdie. Please do take a look and tell me what you think, it'd be really appreciated. ANYWAY! Back on topic; I've been labouring on getting this darned epilogue just right, so that if I decide to pick it up for another story, I can, and if I don't, you guys don't murder me. I hope you enjoy it. So, without further talk, the epilogue.

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**Last Chapter: **Miroku and Sango, along with their twins, take leave of the Taisho to rebuild the village of the slayers. Kagome and InuYasha leave the feudal era to come home to Mae and Souta. Among other things, _Ojii-chan_ is sickly and near death. Kagome tells Mae about Nozomi's death but the older woman suspected as much. InuYasha and Kagome finally give in to their desires and so the story continues…

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** Epilogue: Welcome to the World, Little One**

"Just breath deep, Kagome. We're all here to help." A gentle voice waved over the young woman, bringing her back into the world of the living.

Sudden pains in her groin made her call out, letting go of the tears brimming around her eyes. From somewhere around her legs, or between them, someone was call for some tool. The pain subsided, leaving Kagome as wasted as before. To her right, someone had taken a hold on her hand and squeezed it tightly. Her head rolled that direction and her eyes eased open to gaze into those of her comforter. The amber eyes that caught her were filled with worry and a little anger.

"Kagome," InuYasha whispered her name.

"I'm fine InuYasha," She sighed. "Women have been doing this for years before now." Kagome felt it ironic that she was the one comforting.

"Kagome, I don't trust her."

"For heaven's sake, InuYasha! You wouldn't let a man into the room and now you're saying you don't want our family doctor, a woman need I remind you, helping your labouring wife!" Kagome's voice rose to an irritated squeal.

InuYasha's velvety white ears swiveled back and pinned themselves to his skull. Somehow they had managed to get him out of the house and into the hospital without grabbing his famous ball cap and what a stir it had caused! Of course, no one other than the doctor and a few nurses had seen him, and they had sworn to secrecy on pain of a long, excruciating death. Now all of them worked non-stop trying to keep Kagome comfortable and safe, as well as her child.

"Kagome, smile for the camera!" Mae chirped to Kagome's left. She held up a small digital camera and pointed it in the young woman's direction.

"For Pete's sake mom!!" Kagome whined, "Put that stupid camera away!" Mae only smiled knowingly and snapped a picture.

Another wave of pain crashed over Kagome, making her gasp at its intensity. Gritting her teeth against the onslaught, she squeezed hard on her husband's hand and arched her back. InuYasha whispered instructions as best he could and rubbed the woman's back, which by this time was covered in cold sweat. When the wave passed, Kagome fell back against the bed and panted. When her grip had slackened a bit, InuYasha felt the blood beginning to seep back into his clawed hands, which had hardly registered had been deprived of lifeblood.

"Just a few more minutes Kagome," Doctor Tsurubuchi's gentle voice coached, "Just a few more minutes until you can start pushing."

Kagome nodded tiredly and leaned into InuYasha's hand. His long claws lightly caressed her cheeks, redirecting her mind from the pains of childbirth to a less painful memory. Sweat drenched locks of her jet hair were brushed aside, behind her ears, freeing her forehead and cheeks to the cool kiss of the air conditioner. On one side, her mother coached her in the proper breathing patterns and snapped pictures of the goings on, and on her other side InuYasha whispered encouragements and promises about their new life. All around her machines whirred, buzzed, and beeped sporadically telling the knowing ear that all was well and going according to plan.

Kagome humphed at it all. It had _not_ gone according to plan to begin with. She was due in mid December, when the first snows covered the modern Tokyo, and here it was late November, the very day one year ago she had lost her first pup. She and her mother had decided that that day they would go shopping for baby clothes and bedding. Before they had even gotten to the check out with their items, Kagome had felt the sharp pains and water trickling down the insides of her thighs. Fear and panic had quickly stricken her and her mother. They called the ambulance and rushed the frightened girl to their hospital. InuYasha, never the one to be left behind showed up ten minutes after they had with Souta and _Ojii-chan_ in tow. When Doctor Tsurubuchi had finally gotten in to see Kagome, the seasoned woman had assured the worried family that mother and child would be fine. Now here they were.

Pain crashed over Kagome again causing her to clench her jaws together, clamp her hands down on the bedrail and on InuYasha's innocent hand. From somewhere below her she heard some shout to push and she pushed with all she had. "It's crowning!" Someone yelled. "Push again!" She was commanded. From every side people yelled for her to keep pushing, harder, longer, breath deep. Finally, she felt the pressure between her legs and in her womb ease up and disappear and was only dimly aware of the tiny screams that filled the air.

Doctor Tsurubuchi handed the tiny body over to one of her nurses and attended to the afterbirth and then to the ripping. The nurse set the tiny thing onto a scale, wrote down the figures, and then lay it down on a notched table. Pulling the curled legs into full extension, she wrote down another figure then handed it to another nurse to clean and wrap properly. The wailing ceased quickly with the introduction of a tiny green pacifier and warm blankets.

Slowly, Kagome came around from her stupour and looked around her, searching for this thing she had toiled so long for to ring into the world. Her face quickly brightened when one of the young nurses turned towards her to reveal her tiny little bundle. The doctor helped Kagome sit up properly and then placed the tiny being into her awaiting arms.

"Mr. and Mrs. Taisho, this is your new baby." Doctor Tsurubuchi beamed down at the young couple. "Five pounds, two ounces, and sixteen inches. It's a little boy."

Kagome felt a lump forming in the back of her throat and tears brimming around her lids. Leaning as close as he could to his wife, InuYasha gazed down at his newborn son. "He's beautiful," Kagome breathed. And so he was, a head full of silvery white hair and two twin dog-ears still stuck to his scalp like a newborn pup. His tiny cherubic body was flushed lightly from birth but otherwise held a healthy colour, his tiny pink lips made sucking motions on nothing, his little hands curled tightly into fists. Deep down in his throat, he made tiny noises of contentment, happy to be in the arms of his mother.

His contentment did not last long though. The noises of trolleys squeaking through the room quickly awakened him and set him crying in earnest. Without even thinking about it, Kagome unfastened her robe and offered the Oed mouth a nipple to nurse on, to which the baby quickly latched on with a fury and strength that made Kagome gasp with a twinge of momentary pain. In all of this, InuYasha sat and looked, thoroughly proud of this new pup. As his son suckled peacefully at Kagome's breast, InuYasha wrapped one strong arm around his wife's shoulder and gently stroked the soft, warm cheek of his son with the thumb of his other hand.

"What will you call him?" The doctor asked.

Without the slightest hesitation, Kagome answered, "_Katsuro._ Victorious son." The doctor and mother nodded in approval and left the fledgling family to be alone.

The two sat for a long time on Kagome's hospital bed watching and marveling over this pup they had created together. When his tiny mouth's hold began to slacken on his mother's nipple, Kagome slid her slender index finger in-between the mouth and hardened nipple and broke the already loosening hold. InuYasha took the chance to finally scoop up the sleeping Katsuro up into his arms and rock him as Kagome readjusted her robe. When he turned back around, he found Kagome had drifted off to sleep, having been greatly exhausted after seven hours hard labour. Holding his precious son securely in one arm, he leaned down and gently kissed his mate's forehead then sat down on one of the hard hospital chairs and rocked Katsuro.

"My precious Katsuro," He whispered down to the tiny swaddled pup, "I will always be there to protect you. I'll never leave you."

Much more quickly than he had expected, InuYasha's eyelids grew heavy and finally drifted shut. With their hard bought pup now safely breathing the air of their world, Kagome and InuYasha slept peacefully for the first time in a long time.

**The End**

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**To the reviewers: ****ShadowMika:** Hehehe, we shall see what I have planned for the future! Thanks for your continued support!** phlawere: **Well, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope that maybe this one was an even better finish! **Anime OBESSED122:** Gawrsh **(bashful smile)**, thanks for the compliment! I had kinda sorta planned on doing a sequel to NSTAHEA, but who knows?** InuyashanKagomeForever: **Here ya go, here's the update you've been waiting for! **The Black Moon's Shadow:** Thanks for catching my mistake… I have no idea what I was thinking, actually, I do. I know I knew the right word, I just didn't get it down there right. In any case, thanks again for the review and please do continue to review!

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** Last notes: **YES YES YES!!! I did it! Wahoo!! I actually finished this story completely from what I had started way back all those years ago! I'd like to thank all of you that stayed with me when I just stopped and started and all that, you guys are the best! Maybe if college pressures and such allow, I'll continue on with a new story in this series. Maybe… we shall see. In the mean time, please review and tell me your ideas for new stories and such. PEACE OUT!! 


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